IntelliMoveTake the quiz →
Big small town

Living in Half Moon Bay, CA

Half Moon Bay is a big small town of 11,391 people in San Mateo County, California. It's about 36 miles from San Jose, CA. Summer highs average 65°F and winter highs 59°F, with almost no snow. The typical home is valued around $1.5M and rent runs about $2k a month.

11,391people
$1.5MTypical home
$2,433/moRent
65° / 59°Summer / winter
0"Snow
270Sunny days
116Rain/snow days

Is Half Moon Bay right for you?

Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.

Take the quiz →Open in the app

Size & setting

  • Big small town of 11,391
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 1,825 people per sq mi
  • 36 mi to San Jose, CA
  • 36 mi to San Jose, CA
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $1.5M (≈$9,771/mo)
  • Median rent $2,433/mo
  • Median household income $158k
  • Property tax about 0.6% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 65°F
  • Winter highs around 59°F
  • Comfortable summers (dew point 54°F)
  • 270 sunny days a year (95 totally clear)
  • 95 cloudy days a year
  • 34 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 116 days a year with rain or snow
  • Basically no snow
  • Snow days are rare
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • Rarely drops below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • Low violent crime (223 per 100k), county-wide
  • Low property crime (1,369 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 47
  • 29% of households have kids
  • 23% are 65 or older
  • 53% have a college degree
  • Very diverse community
  • 7% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 32 min
  • 6% walk or take transit to work
  • 11 mi to SQL airport
  • 11 mi to SFO (major hub)
  • 23 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 79% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1979
  • 96% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Mountain country
  • Elevation 26 ft
  • Right on the coast
  • 153 mi to a big lake
  • 7 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 145 mi to the nearest ski area
  • Campground in town
  • 43 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 3,513 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 508 bars within 25 mi
  • 1,224 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 52 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 115 museums within 25 mi
  • 33 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 9 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 48% of California districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 8 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 8 mi to the nearest vet
  • 8 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 3 congregations per 10k people
  • 9 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • San Mateo County: D+50 in 2024
  • California: D+20 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • High earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Moderate drought risk
  • Very low winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Half Moon Bay

More places in California →