San Francisco, CA Commercial Real Estate Market Trends & Data

What Are Current Commercial Real Estate Benchmarks in San Francisco?

San Francisco commercial properties are averaging $554 per square foot to buy and $502 per square foot to lease, with cap rates near 6.04% across asset types. The data below covers sale prices, lease rates, cap rates, and building sizes by property type to support early-stage market evaluation.

Explore Commercial Properties in San Francisco

Browse properties currently for sale or lease to see how local market pricing and building sizes translate into real opportunities.

 

San Francisco's Demographic Profile

San Francisco has 330,111 households and a median income of $128,655, providing context for rent absorption and tenant demand across retail and multifamily assets. A -8% five-year population trend is a key signal for evaluating long-term demand in this market.

Key Demographic Metrics Value
Population 777,336
# Households 330,111
Median age 42
Median household income $128,655
Avg household size 2
Renter-occupied housing units 220,085
5-year population change -8%

Commercial Real Estate Market Snapshot in San Francisco

Use the benchmarks below to set initial underwriting baselines for San Francisco, typical deal size, entry costs, and cap rate ranges by asset type before evaluating individual listings.

Key Market Metrics Value
Avg asking sale price $554 per SF
Avg asking lease rate $502 per SF
Avg unit size for lease 18,542 SF
Avg building size for sale 27,344 SF
Average cap rate 6.04%

The 6.04% average cap rate reflects current return expectations relative to San Francisco pricing and deal scale. Use this alongside asking prices and lease rates to establish initial underwriting assumptions.

 

Commercial Properties For Sale In San Francisco

The listings below reflect how current market pricing and building scale translate into active opportunities available today.
For Sale

Vacant Repositioning Opportunity | Downtown

San Francisco, CA 94111

  • 10,465 SF Office Building
  • Auction Sale
For Sale

Bush & Larkin

San Francisco, CA 94109

  • 37,812 SF Industrial Building
  • Price Upon Request
For Sale

Redstone, Solano, and Irwin

  • 7.60% Cap Rate
  • $21,082,000
For Sale

The Redstone Building

San Francisco, CA 94103

  • 55,560 SF Office Building
  • 9.78% Cap Rate
  • $7,150,000
For Sale

Bank Of The Orient

San Francisco, CA 94118

  • 7,492 SF Retail Building
  • 5.26% Cap Rate
  • $7,988,000
For Sale

1532 Howard St

San Francisco, CA 94103

  • 8,225 SF Multifamily
  • $4,895,000
For Sale

1100 Clay St

San Francisco, CA 94108

  • 3,390 SF Multifamily
  • 5.35% Cap Rate
  • $2,100,000
For Sale

1608 Folsom St

San Francisco, CA 94103

  • 4,185 SF Multifamily
  • 4.93% Cap Rate
  • $2,075,000

 

Commercial Market Metrics by Property Type


 


 

How Investors Evaluate Commercial Real Estate Markets in San Francisco

Use these tools to move from market-level signals to deal-level math. Each calculator helps translate San Francisco pricing, rents, and building size into concrete metrics like value, income, and space requirements, so you can validate assumptions before spending time on individual listings.

 

Nearby Commercial Markets

Comparing nearby markets helps investors see whether San Francisco pricing and building scale sit above, below, or in line with surrounding areas.


Multifamily For Sale In San Francisco

Multifamily listings shown here connect market pricing and cap rate patterns with income-producing opportunities currently available.
For Sale

1532 Howard St

San Francisco, CA 94103

  • 8,225 SF Multifamily
  • $4,895,000
For Sale

Vacant 27 Rm Res Hotel Bld + Retail & Parking

San Francisco, CA 94103

  • 12,400 SF Multifamily
  • $3,650,000
For Sale

2929 Geary Blvd

San Francisco, CA 94118

  • 17,488 SF Multifamily
  • $5,650,000
For Sale

835-843 Broadway

San Francisco, CA 94133

  • 6,216 SF Multifamily
  • 5.31% Cap Rate
  • $2,400,000
For Sale

815 O'Farrell

San Francisco, CA 94109

  • 31,670 SF Multifamily
  • 8.14% Cap Rate
  • $6,750,000
For Sale

1650 Clay St

San Francisco, CA 94109

  • 8,975 SF Multifamily
  • $4,200,000
For Sale

The Westerly

San Francisco, CA 94116

  • 117,000 SF Multifamily
  • $18,000,000
For Sale

Across from Twitter Building-$187K Per Unit

San Francisco, CA 94103

  • 22,670 SF Multifamily
  • 5.30% Cap Rate
  • $10,500,000

Regional Demographic Comparison

This comparison places San Francisco alongside nearby cities to show how population size, household counts, and income levels differ across the region. Viewing these markets side by side helps investors understand whether local demand and income characteristics are concentrated in San Francisco or distributed across surrounding areas.

FAQs About Commercial Investing in San Francisco

View All Commercial Real Estate For Sale in San Francisco
Is San Francisco a good market for a first-time commercial real estate investor?

San Francisco offers commercial properties across a wide range of sizes and price points. By reviewing the market data and benchmarks on this page, first-time investors can better understand what a typical commercial property looks like before committing capital and narrowing in on specific listings.

How can this market data help me decide whether to buy commercial property for my business in San Francisco?

The pricing and size metrics on this page help business owners compare the cost of ownership against leasing in San Francisco. Typical building sizes and asking prices provide a starting point for evaluating space needs, budget fit, and long term occupancy costs before engaging lenders or brokers.

What should conservative investors focus on when evaluating commercial properties in San Francisco?

Conservative investors often prioritize manageable deal sizes, stable pricing ranges, and cap rate benchmarks shown for San Francisco. These metrics help assess whether current market conditions support steady income potential without relying on aggressive assumptions.

How does San Francisco compare to nearby commercial real estate markets?

Nearby market comparisons highlight differences in pricing, building scale, and cap rate ranges relative to San Francisco. Reviewing these side by side helps experienced investors identify relative value, pricing premiums, or alternative markets that may better align with return targets.

How can this page support early-stage deal screening for San Francisco acquisitions?

This page provides high-level benchmarks for pricing, deal size, and observed cap rates in San Francisco, which are useful for initial market filtering. Institutional and data-driven investors often use these signals to prioritize listings that meet size, pricing, and return thresholds before deeper underwriting.