Who Should NOT Move to San Francisco?
San Francisco is a poor fit for an equally identifiable set of movers: anyone specifically seeking a low-tax or low-cost destination, anyone requiring a fully recovered downtown/transit-ridership picture today, anyone assuming the city's population has already returned to its 2020 peak, and anyone unwilling to confirm current earthquake-insurance quotability for a specific property.
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Learn moreAnyone Specifically Seeking a Low-Tax or Low-Cost Destination
California's real, current top marginal income tax rate (13.3%, the highest in the US) and San Francisco's status among the most expensive US cities by multiple cost-of-living indices make San Francisco a poor fit for anyone specifically prioritizing low taxes or low overall cost of living as a primary relocation criterion.
Anyone Requiring a Fully Recovered Downtown Office Market or Transit-Ridership Picture Today
As detailed on the downtown-recovery and traffic-transportation topic pages, San Francisco's downtown office vacancy (27.2%-30.1% as of Q2 2026) and BART's weekday ridership (still only ~49% of 2019 levels) both remain genuinely elevated/incomplete by pre-2020 standards, even after real, significant recent improvement. Anyone requiring a fully resolved picture today should understand these recoveries remain genuinely in progress.
Anyone Assuming San Francisco's Population Has Already Returned to Its 2020 Peak
As detailed on the base record, San Francisco's city-proper population remains below its 2020 Census peak (873,965) despite real, partial recent stabilization (830,235 in a 2020-2024 ACS period) -- anyone assuming a full population recovery has already occurred should understand this real, disclosed, and still-incomplete trajectory.
Anyone Unwilling to Confirm Current Earthquake-Insurance Quotability for a Specific Property
Given San Francisco's real, significant San Andreas Fault exposure (a 72% probability of a magnitude-6.7-plus event within 30 years per USGS, higher than Los Angeles's comparable figure), anyone considering a purchase without confirming current earthquake-coverage availability and cost directly with a carrier risks a serious, avoidable financial and safety-planning surprise.
Anyone Requiring Certainty About Long-Term Bay Area Transit Funding
As detailed on the traffic-transportation topic page, the five largest Bay Area transit systems combined face a real, projected average annual deficit of approximately $914.8 million starting fiscal year 2027. Anyone who requires certainty about long-term Muni/BART service levels, without weighing this real, disclosed funding pressure, risks an overly optimistic assumption about future transit reliability.
Key takeaways
- Anyone specifically seeking a low-tax or low-cost destination should look elsewhere, given California's real, highest-in-the-nation 13.3% top income tax rate and San Francisco's expensive housing/rent.
- Anyone requiring a fully recovered downtown office market or transit-ridership picture today should understand these recoveries remain genuinely in progress, per the real, disclosed 2026 figures.
- Anyone assuming San Francisco's population has already returned to its 2020 peak should understand the real, disclosed, still-incomplete recovery trajectory.
- Anyone unwilling to confirm current earthquake-insurance quotability for a specific property should reconsider, given the city's real, significant San Andreas Fault exposure.
- Anyone requiring certainty about long-term Bay Area transit funding should weigh the real, disclosed ~$914.8 million projected annual deficit starting FY2027.
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