New York-Newark-Jersey City 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

New York-Newark-Jersey City vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley side by side

Metric New York-Newark-Jersey City San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley
Alpha Score2726
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health03
Affordability51
Economic Strength6261
Rental Yield2419
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income6.08.3
Payment-to-Income37.0%51.1%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield3.6%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 New York-Newark-Jersey City and San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: New York-Newark-Jersey City leads — New York-Newark-Jersey City 5/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 1/100.
  • Price Momentum: New York-Newark-Jersey City and San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley leads — New York-Newark-Jersey City 0/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 3/100.
  • Economic Strength: New York-Newark-Jersey City leads — New York-Newark-Jersey City 62/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 61/100.
  • Rental Yield: New York-Newark-Jersey City leads — New York-Newark-Jersey City 24/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 19/100.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, New York-Newark-Jersey City or San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley?

New York-Newark-Jersey City scores higher — 27 vs 26 out of 100. The Alpha Score is a 0-100 composite of price momentum, inventory health, affordability, economic strength, and rental yield.

Is New York-Newark-Jersey City or San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley more affordable?

New York-Newark-Jersey City is more affordable on our affordability dimension. Price-to-income is 6.0 in New York-Newark-Jersey City and 8.3 in San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, New York-Newark-Jersey City 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City market brief and the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley brief.