Retirement Communities in San Francisco, California

CaringScore for San Francisco, CA

CaringScore was designed to help millions of Americans find the best places to retire, age in place, or receive eldercare. The CaringScore for retirement communities in San Francisco was based on more than 50 factors in three key categories: health, cost, and livability. By compiling and analyzing this data, Caring.com is able to rate the quality of life you or a loved one might expect should you choose retirement communities in San Francisco.

CaringScore can range from 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and provides a quick way to compare cities, counties, and even specific zip codes. With a CaringScore of 6.2, San Francisco rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

The charts below highlight a few of the factors we used to calculate the CaringScore for San Francisco. Choose a category score to learn more.

Physicians Per Capita

Cost of Healthcare Index

Sunny Days Per Year

HealthScore for San Francisco, CA

HealthScore, a component of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in San Francisco, rates a region on a scale of 1 (less healthful) to 10 (more healthful). It's specifically tailored to anyone looking for retirement communities. The HealthScore for San Francisco is based on the availability of healthcare resources, air and water quality, the overall health of the local population, and other key factors. With a HealthScore of 9.2, San Francisco rates above average for those seeking retirement communities.

Easy access to physicians -- especially geriatricians and other key specialists -- is important to older adults seeking retirement communities. At 509.2 physicians per capita, San Francisco scores 130.9 percent better than the national average. San Francisco scores 115.4 percent better than the national average in geriatricians per capita, with 2.8, and scores 81.5 percent better than the national average in specialists per capita, with 35.4. These medical specialists include cardiologists, oncologists, and orthopedists. The average life expectancy from birth in San Francisco is 80.7 years -- 3.6 percent higher than most of the country. Air quality in San Francisco -- one factor in gauging the healthfulness of a region -- is 31.3 percent below average, and water quality -- another key measure of San Francisco's environmental health -- trails the national average by 14.5 percent.

Doctors Per Capita	San Francisco, CA	Nat'l Avg
Physicians	509.2	220.5
Geriatricians	2.8	1.3
Cardiologists	14.4	7.7
Oncologists	7.2	3.5
Orthopedists	11	7

Average Life Expectancy

CostScore for San Francisco, CA

CostScore, part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in San Francisco, rates the cost of living for older adults on a scale of 1 (more expensive) to 10 (less expensive). It's specifically tailored to people looking for retirement communities. The CostScore for San Francisco is based on data such as the average monthly cost of retirement communities in the region, the cost of housing and healthcare, regional tax rates, and other key factors. With a CostScore of 2.5, the costs associated with retirement communities in San Francisco are generally more expensive than the national average.

Because of the broad range of housing, service, and healthcare options available at retirement communities, no average monthly cost data is available for San Francisco. The entry fee or purchase price for an independent living community can range from $50,000 to $500,000 or more, and typically requires an additional monthly service fee of $1,000 to $3,000 on average. The cost of living indices below provide the best proxy for comparing costs of retirement communities in San Francisco to the rest of the country. Overall, the cost of living for San Francisco indexes at 85.0 percent higher than the national average. Average healthcare costs are 15.0 percent more expensive than the national average, and the cost of housing is 267.0 percent more expensive than average.

Cost of Living	San Francisco, CA
Aggregate Index	185
Healthcare Index	115
Housing Index	367
Food Index	113
Utilities Index	90
Transportation Index	113

Cost of Healthcare Index

LivabilityScore for San Francisco, CA

LivabilityScore makes up part of the overall CaringScore for retirement communities in San Francisco. On a scale of 1 (less livable) to 10 (more livable), it's a rating of the quality of life in a region, specifically tailored to those looking for retirement communities. The LivabilityScore for San Francisco is based on weather, crime rates, economic factors, average age of the population, and other key demographics. With a LivabilityScore of 6.7, San Francisco rates above average for retirement communities.

Weather is an important factor in choosing the best place for retirement communities. The sun shines an average of 259 days each year in San Francisco, 26.3 percent more sunny days than the rest of the U.S. sees. With an average temperature of 42°F in January, winters tend to be milder in San Francisco than in other parts of the country, and summers are often more temperate than other places, averaging 71°F in July.

Local crime rates are another important indicator. The violent crime rate in San Francisco is 75.0 percent higher than the national average, and the property crime rate is 50.0 percent higher than average. At $73,485 per year, the population of San Francisco earns a better than average median household income. San Francisco has an unemployment rate of 9.10 percent, roughly equal to the national average. And about 15.05 percent of the population in San Francisco is of retirement age -- 65 or older -- which exceeds the national average by 14.4 percent.

Sunny Days Per Year

Avg Temperature (°F)

Property Crime Index

Amenities Per Capita	San Francisco	Nat'l Avg
Parks	0.4	136.1
Libraries	4.2	18.8
Places of Worship	52.5	220.5
Public Transit	6781.9	110.4
Grocery Stores	154.4	97.7
Pharmacies	10.1	13.8

Percent of Population Over Age 65