San Francisco, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a San Francisco house pays

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Sent only to free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a San Francisco house

$15,260a year · $1,272 a month

Starts at $656,456 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$7,674
1.182% of $656,456, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$823
SFUSD School Parcel Tax of 2020 (Prop J) $342 · SFUSD Teacher Support (QTEA 2008) $326 · SFUSD Facilities District special tax $44 · City College parcel tax $99 · SF Bay Restoration Authority parcel tax $12
Electricity and gas$2,374
248 kWh a month $1,385 · 31.72 therms $989
Water and sewer$2,218
4.48 units (CCF) a month on San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC): water $75, sewer $90, stormwater, residential parcel of 1,701-3,300 sq ft (6 or fewer dwelling units, 6,000 sq ft or less net parcel area) $20 a month
Trash$678
16-gal trash (standard), $57 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A typical San Francisco house pays about $15,300 a year: $8,500 property tax and charges, $2,220 water and sewer, $680 trash, $2,370 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 22, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

2 changes save this house about $88 a year:

Bring water use down to 4 units
$8 a year
Above 4 units a month, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) charges $13.55 a unit instead of $12.20.
How: Most of the top tier is outdoor watering: fix leaks and water less often in summer.
New owners: file the homeowners' exemption
$80 a year
If you own and live in your home as your principal residence, the exemption takes up to $7,000 off its assessed value, about $80 a year in tax. File by February 15 for the full exemption; once filed, you do not need to file again unless you move.
How: File online through the Assessor-Recorder's community portal, by email to asrexemptionunit@sfgov.org, or at City Hall, Room 190.

Worth checking

Seniors 65+: school parcel tax exemptions$711.72 a year in 2026-27 if all three apply
SFUSD offers senior exemptions from three parcel taxes. For the Quality Teacher & Education Act tax ($326.30 in 2026-27) and the School Parcel Tax of 2020 ($341.56), the senior owner must be at least 65 by June 30, 2027, own the property and live there as their principal residence. For the School Facilities Special Tax ($43.86 for a single-family home), a senior occupant 65 or older must live there as their principal residence; the owner need not be 65. Parcels exempted in 2025-26 that still meet the criteria are exempted automatically for 2026-27.
How: Apply to the SFUSD Senior Citizen Exemption Office (SeniorExemptionOffice@sfusd.edu); new applications for 2026-27 were due June 30, 2026.
Low-income households: SFPUC water and sewer discount25% or 40% off
Low-income households with an individually metered single-family SFPUC account in their name can get 25% or 40% off the water and sewer bill. For a 4-person household the 2026 income limits are $81,050 (25%) and $48,650 (40%). The discount lasts 36 months, then you reapply.
How: Apply online on SFPUC's Customer Assistance Program page or call (415) 551-3000.
Low-income households: 25% off the Recology bill25% off
Low-income households may be eligible for a 25% discount on Recology service. You verify by showing your voucher or award letter for a program such as PG&E CARE, CalFresh/SNAP, SSI or Medi-Cal. Households receiving premium service or accounts with more than 1 unit are not eligible.
How: Send Recology a copy of your current PG&E bill showing CARE (name and address must match your Recology account).
Income-qualified households: PG&E CARE on gas20% off gas
CARE gives income-qualified customers a 20% discount on their natural gas bill.
How: Contact PG&E for an application.
Disabled veterans: property tax exemptionUp to $271,009 off assessed value
Veterans with 100% disability, or partially disabled and unemployable, or their unmarried surviving spouses, are eligible for up to a $271,009 exemption. If total household income does not exceed $81,131, a 100% disabled veteran may qualify for up to $271,009.
How: File with the Assessor-Recorder through its online community portal or on the paper claim form.
Two free bulky item pickups a yearFree
Residential customers in buildings with 5 units or fewer get two curbside Bulky Item Collections a year at no additional charge, up to 10 items each (no hazardous waste, construction debris, auto parts or tires).
How: Schedule a collection on Recology San Francisco's Bulky Items page or call 415.330.1300.
Seniors, blind or disabled: property tax postponementDefer current-year taxes
The State Controller's Property Tax Postponement Program lets homeowners who are seniors, blind, or have a disability defer current-year property taxes if they meet certain criteria.
How: For more information, call the State Controller at (800) 952-5661.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartEach price is the $21.16 per-home base charge plus trash, a 64-gallon recycling cart and a 32-gallon compost cart; Recology's standard service is a 16-gallon trash cart.

Value before exemptionsEnter the assessed value from your tax bill: under Prop 13 it is often far below market value, while a recent buyer's assessed value is close to what they paid. Some neighborhoods also pay community benefit district or other direct charges that are not included here.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemptionSomeone on the title is 65 or older

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, California statewide average, NAIC data for 2022 as published by the Insurance Information Institute (California figures from the California Department of Insurance).

Earthquake insurance, a yearSeparate from home insurance. Most owners don't have it.

Your use

Water, units a month

On your water bill. 1 unit (CCF) is 748 gallons. A typical San Francisco house uses about 4.48.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your PG&E delivery with CleanPowerSF Green generation bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Dec 10in 48 daysFirst installment of secured property tax is delinquent after 5:00 pm; 10% penalty.
Feb 15in 115 daysDeadline to file for the full homeowners' exemption.
Mar 31Last day for single-family owners to request an informal decline-in-value review (January 2 to March 31).
Apr 10Second installment of secured property tax is delinquent after 5:00 pm; 10% penalty plus applicable fees.

Who serves this house

Water: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC); San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, schedule W-1A (single-family), FY 2026-27 rates from July 1, 2026: a monthly service charge by meter size ($19.65 for 5/8 inch) plus $12.20 per unit for the first 4 units a month and $13.55 for all additional units (1 unit = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons).
Property tax: 1.18% of value; 2026-27 tax year, City and County of San Francisco
Garbage: Recology Sunset Scavenger / Recology Golden Gate; Compost, recycling and landfill collection in San Francisco. Recology bills 1-5 unit homes quarterly.
Electricity: CleanPowerSF generation, PG&E delivery; CleanPowerSF is San Francisco's Community Choice Aggregation program, run by the SFPUC; PG&E delivers the energy and sends the bill.
Gas: PG&E; San Francisco ZIP codes are in PG&E's gas service territory.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir accounts for up to 85 percent of the water SFPUC delivers each year; in 2025 about 0.42% groundwater was blended into San Francisco's supply.
Hardness: Hardness averaged 62 ppm as calcium carbonate in 2025 (range 8.1-112 ppm).
Lead and PFAS: No PFAS were detected. There are no known lead service lines in the system; SFPUC offers lead tests at $25 per tap.

Other CA cities

How these numbers are made

Garbage: Recology's rates for 1-5 unit buildings from October 1, 2026: the $21.16 per-home base charge, the trash cart, a 64-gallon recycling cart ($17.68) and a 32-gallon compost cart ($8.84) for $56.52 a month with the standard 16-gallon trash cart, $65.36 with 32 gallons and $97.16 with 64 gallons (which adds the $14.12 premium for trash above 32 gallons). Recology bills quarterly; the page shows a month.
Water: SFPUC schedule W-1A from July 1, 2026, with the $19.65 monthly charge for a 5/8-inch meter (the meter size SFPUC's rate consultant assumed for single-family homes), $12.20 per unit for the first 4 units a month and $13.55 above. The page starts at 4.48 units a month: the use at which these rates give the $75 average single-family monthly water bill SFPUC showed for FY 2027 in its 2026 rate presentation (our arithmetic; SFPUC does not state the units).
Sewer: SFPUC Schedule A, $6.62 a month plus $20.74 per discharge unit on 90% of water use ($18.666 per unit of water). The stormwater component is $19.66 a month, Schedule D Tier 2 (1,701-3,300 sq ft parcels, where SFPUC says most residential properties fall); smaller lots pay $12.63 and lots up to 6,000 sq ft $29.55.
Property tax: the FY 2026-27 secured rate of 1.18162182% on assessed value less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption, plus the flat 2026-27 parcel taxes on a single-family bill ($822.72 a year): SFUSD Prop J $341.56, SFUSD QTEA $326.30, SFUSD facilities $43.86, City College $99 and Bay Restoration $12. Community benefit district, PACE and other direct charges that only some parcels carry are not included; nor is any parcel tax on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The starting value is the median assessed value (land plus improvements, before the $7,000 exemption) of the 95,049 single-family dwelling parcels on the Assessor's 2025 secured roll on DataSF, $656,456 (the middle parcel when sorted by value; the mean is about $1.0 million, so values are skewed by Prop 13). A long-time owner's assessed value is usually far lower, and a recent buyer's is near the purchase price.
Electricity: PG&E schedule E-1 (the tiered plan; many homes are on time-of-use plans instead) for a non-CARE (Income Tier 3) home with CleanPowerSF Green generation: PG&E's E-1 total ($0.32561 Tier 1, $0.40702 Tier 2) minus its $0.12855 generation charge and its ($0.01011) Bundled PCIA, plus CleanPowerSF's $0.11377 and the $0.03738 PCIA/franchise fee, for $0.35832 per kWh up to baseline and $0.43973 above. The $0.79343 a day base services charge is about $24.13 a month. Baseline is territory T (6.5 kWh a day for 4 summer months, 7.5 for 8 winter months, about 218 kWh a month). Typical use is the 248 kWh a month in PG&E and CleanPowerSF's E-1 comparison.
Gas: PG&E G-1 (Oct. 1, 2026) $2.42480 and $2.92792 per therm plus the $0.12103 public purpose surcharge; territory T baseline weighted 7 summer, 3 off-peak and 2 on-peak months, about 28.4 therms a month. Typical gas use is California's 2024 residential average (EIA, about 32 therms a month). Insurance is the 2022 California average homeowners premium (NAIC via the Insurance Information Institute) until you enter your own.
Insurance: the $1,492 is the California statewide 2022 average (the newest year on the Insurance Information Institute page), not a San Francisco figure, and it is several years old.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How San Francisco compares

A typical San Francisco house against the 110 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	San Francisco	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.18%	1.13%	higher than 78 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$899	$955	lower than 65 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$1,319	$584	higher than 76 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$678	$438	higher than 89 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,374	$3,556	lower than 105 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	in the middle of 108 other California cities we cover
Total	$15,260	$15,240	higher than 56 of the other 109 California cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,319 a year, higher than 76 of the other 76 California cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $1,319 a year, higher than 76 of the other 76 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $678 a year for the standard cart, higher than 89 of the other 101 California cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $678 a year for the standard cart, higher than 89 of the other 101 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,374 a year, lower than 105 of the other 109 California cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $2,374 a year for a typical house, lower than 105 of the other 109 California cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about San Francisco house costs

What is the property tax rate in San Francisco?

About 1.18% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, City and County of San Francisco), plus flat charges on the same bill (SFUSD School Parcel Tax of 2020 (Prop J) $342, SFUSD Teacher Support (QTEA 2008) $326, SFUSD Facilities District special tax $44, City College parcel tax $99).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in San Francisco?

About $6,648 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $823 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in San Francisco?

About $185 a month for water and sewer at typical use (4.48 units, or 3,351 gallons a month) on San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC).

How much does trash pickup cost in San Francisco?

$57 to $97 a month, depending on the trash cart size (16-gal trash (standard), 32-gal trash, 64-gal trash).

When is property tax due in San Francisco?

Dec 10: First installment of secured property tax is delinquent after 5:00 pm; 10% penalty. Apr 10: Second installment of secured property tax is delinquent after 5:00 pm; 10% penalty plus applicable fees.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in San Francisco?

Yes. Seniors 65+: school parcel tax exemptions: SFUSD offers senior exemptions from three parcel taxes. For the Quality Teacher & Education Act tax ($326.30 in 2026-27) and the School Parcel Tax of 2020 ($341.56), the senior owner must be at least 65 by June 30, 2027, own the property and live there as their principal residence. For the School Facilities Special Tax ($43.86 for a single-family home), a senior occupant 65 or older must live there as their principal residence; the owner need not be 65. Parcels exempted in 2025-26 that still meet the criteria are exempted automatically for 2026-27.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in San Francisco?

Low-income households: SFPUC water and sewer discount: Low-income households with an individually metered single-family SFPUC account in their name can get 25% or 40% off the water and sewer bill. For a 4-person household the 2026 income limits are $81,050 (25%) and $48,650 (40%). The discount lasts 36 months, then you reapply. Apply online on SFPUC's Customer Assistance Program page or call (415) 551-3000.

How much does a house in San Francisco cost to run each year?

All California cities All cities