Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley: Housing Market Comparison (2026)

Side-by-side Alpha Scores, affordability, momentum, supply, jobs, and rental yield · as of May 2026

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley side by side

Metric Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley
Alpha Score2526
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health13
Affordability11
Economic Strength4961
Rental Yield2919
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income8.88.3
Payment-to-Income54.2%51.1%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield2.9%2.6%
Overvaluation Index4040

Highlighted = the stronger read for that metric (supply, valuation, and payment burden are better when lower). Income/rent inputs lag annually.

How Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley score the same (1/100).
  • Price Momentum: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley leads — Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 1/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 3/100.
  • Economic Strength: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley leads — Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 49/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 61/100.
  • Rental Yield: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim leads — Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 29/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 19/100.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim or San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley?

San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley scores higher — 26 vs 25 out of 100. The Alpha Score is a 0-100 composite of price momentum, inventory health, affordability, economic strength, and rental yield.

Is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim or San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley more affordable?

Affordability is comparable in both markets. Price-to-income is 8.8 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and 8.3 in San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim or San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley?

Both markets show similar price momentum (about 50/100).

Want to swap in other cities, change the metrics, or chart the trend over time? Customize this comparison → in the interactive Compare tool. Or read the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim market brief and the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley brief.