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Half Moon Bay, California

Half Moon Bay is a small town of about 11,300 people in San Mateo County, California. It has lost about 4% of its people since 2020. A typical home costs about 9.8 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, San Jose, is about 36 miles away as the crow flies.

Population
11,287
down 4.1% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$1,549,500
San Mateo County prices up 6.7% since 2022
Household income
$157,884
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, San Francisco area
115.6
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
9 miles
San Mateo, CA
To San Jose
36 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 15.6% above the U.S. average in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 9.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Half Moon Bay itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
  • Schools in town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
  • A hospital close bySan Mateo Medical Center in San Mateo, about 9 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big citySan Jose is about 36 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Half Moon Bay meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$1,549,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 6.7%San Mateo County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$2,433 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$157,884U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
71%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$10,000 or more a yearCalifornia: $5,124
Homes built before 1940
5%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
9%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
3%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
115.6U.S. average = 100 (the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 6.7% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area, not Half Moon Bay alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
11,2872020: 11,763
Median age
47.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
23%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
23%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
52%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
4%U.S.: 6%
College students
7%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Professional and business services (26%); schools, health care and social services (18%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (8%)
Unemployment rate
2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
29 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
26%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
6%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: San Mateo Medical Center, San Mateo, CA, about 9 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

4 public schools in Half Moon Bay, run by Cabrillo Unified.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on California's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
86%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
96%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
43°F
July average high
65°F
Days 90°F or hotter
0 a year
Nights at or below freezing
5 a year
Rain and melted snow
26 inches a year
Snow
0 inches a year
Elevation
39 feet

Weather station: Half Moon Bay (less than a mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: San Mateo Medical Center, San Mateo, San Jose.

San Mateo County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Robert Mills Dairy Barn.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Golden Gate National Recreation Area3 miles
  • Fort Point National Historic Site23 miles
  • San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park23 miles
  • Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park30 miles
  • Muir Woods National Monument30 miles

Read about Half Moon Bay's history on Wikipedia.

Know Half Moon Bay?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Highlands, CA (unincorporated)2,450 people, 6 miles
  • Baywood Park, CA (unincorporated)1,580 people, 7 miles
  • Ladera, CA (unincorporated)1,297 people, 14 miles
  • La Honda, CA (unincorporated)1,269 people, 14 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.