Becoming a homeowner in the Bay Area now requires making nearly three times the region’s median household income.
Home buyers had to make about $444,000 a year to afford a mid-priced home sold in the San Francisco metropolitan area in April, according to a new report from real estate brokerage Redfin. That number — based on the rule of thumb that households should not spend more than 30% of their income on housing — is up by 7% from April 2025, making it the highest among the most populous U.S. metro areas.
The analysis assumes a 15% down payment, which is about 10 percentage points lower than the typical down payment in the San Francisco metro area, Redfin’s data shows (though about a third of sales are in cash). That means the actual income needed for a mid-priced home could be lower — if a buyer can shell out a $428,000 payment on a $1.72 million home right out the gate…