Living in Sausalito, California: homes, schools and costs

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 10.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood4 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.6 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 17.4 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town1 public school. No public high school in town: the nearest is Tamalpais High, about 3 miles away.
A hospital close byKaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco in South San Francisco, about 5 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySan Francisco is about 31 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 Sausalito 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.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Sausalito runs into the built-up area around San Francisco (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $1,894,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 4.4%Marin County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $3,500 or more a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $182,357U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 60%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $10,000 or more a yearCalifornia: $5,124
Homes built before 1940: 25%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 2%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 6%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 4.4% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area, not Sausalito 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: 7,0192020: 7,256
Median age: 55.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 34%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 7%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 76%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 11%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 (31%); schools, health care and social services (20%); retail (13%)
Unemployment rate: 8%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 30 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 45%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 8%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco, South San Francisco, CA, about 5 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

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

1 public school in Sausalito, run by Sausalito Marin City. The nearest public high school is Tamalpais High, about 3 miles away.

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: 88%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 94%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: 47°F
July average high: 66°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 3 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 0 a year
Rain and melted snow: 36.2 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 321 feet

Weather stations: San Francisco Dwtn (7 miles away) and Muir Woods (5 miles away, rain and snow). 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

Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San FranciscoEmergency room5

San Rafael, CACity of 59,0009

San Francisco, CAMetro of 4.6 million31

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: Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco, San Rafael, San Francisco.

Marin 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

6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Barry Forts Baker and Cronkhite and the Point Bonita Light Station.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Golden Gate National Recreation Arearight here
Fort Point National Historic Site3 miles
Muir Woods National Monument4 miles
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park5 miles
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park7 miles

Read about Sausalito's history on Wikipedia.

Know Sausalito?

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

Marin City, CA3,200 people, 1 miles
Belvedere, CA2,100 people, 2 miles
Strawberry, CA5,800 people, 2 miles
Tiburon, CA8,900 people, 3 miles
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, CA12,100 people, 3 miles
Mill Valley, CA13,800 people, 4 miles

Smaller places

Alto, CA (unincorporated)1,024 people, 4 miles
Muir Beach, CA (unincorporated)311 people, 5 miles
Stinson Beach, CA (unincorporated)255 people, 9 miles
Bolinas, CA (unincorporated)1,334 people, 13 miles
Woodacre, CA (unincorporated)1,627 people, 13 miles
Montalvin Manor, CA (unincorporated)2,063 people, 13 miles
San Geronimo, CA (unincorporated)583 people, 14 miles

Sources

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.