Living in Daly City vs San Francisco

Close to SF, Easier to Live

Choosing a place to live in the Bay Area usually comes down to a mix of cost, convenience, and lifestyle. While cost may be the initial reason people start exploring Daly City, the combination of convenience, calmer streets, practical daily routines, and access to nature is also a key advantage of living here.

Cost-of-Living Differences You’ll Actually Notice

Rent and Square Footage
A one-bedroom in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond, Hayes Valley, or SoMa can easily reach $3,200–$3,800 + per month. Daly City’s average sits lower, and the units are often larger. At Westlake, many renovated floor plans include updated kitchens, large closets, and multi-room living spaces and townhomes.

Parking Costs
San Francisco’s street-parking rules, congestion, and permit zones create an ongoing challenge for residents. Daly City has fewer restrictions, and many communities provide on-site spaces. This alone can save hundreds of dollars each month.

Groceries and Everyday Purchases
Daly City offers access to several practical and affordable shopping areas, including Westlake Shopping Center. Within five minutes of Westlake Apartments, you’ll find:

• Trader Joe’s
• Safeway
• Target
• Ranch 99 (especially helpful for Asian pantry staples)
• Seafood City (a hub for Filipino groceries and hot food)
• Costco in nearby South San Francisco

Prices at these stores are often lower than at their San Francisco counterparts, especially for produce, bulk items, and prepared foods.

Utilities and Climate
Daly City’s mild weather means most residents rarely need air conditioning. Even in summer, temperatures often hover in the 60s and low 70s. That can translate to lower energy bills compared to neighborhoods in San Francisco that experience warmer microclimates, such as the Mission or Potrero Hill.

Commuting: How Daly City Keeps You Connected

Daly City is closer to many parts of San Francisco than people realize. From Westlake, you can reach:

• Daly City BARTin about five minutes by car
• Colma BART in roughly eight minutes
• Highway 280 in under three minutes
• Highway 1 in about seven minutes, for quick access to Pacifica

BART to downtown SF typically takes 10–15 minutes, depending on your stop. Trains are frequent during peak hours and stay reliable even on weekends.

Our Juniper apartments in particular offer easy access to BART, I-280, CA-1, Muni, and other points near San Francisco and beyond.

Driving is also straightforward. Highway 280 offers a calmer alternative to 101, with direct access to neighborhoods west of downtown, like the Sunset, Twin Peaks, and Glen Park. Many residents alternate between BART and driving depending on the day.

Weekend travel is also easier from Daly City. You can get to Mori Point, Thornton State Beach, and Sweeney Ridge without weaving through San Francisco traffic. Pacifica’s cafes and hiking trails sit 10–12 minutes from Westlake.

Daly City’s Microclimate: What the Weather's Actually Like

The weather changes quickly between Daly City and San Francisco. Daly City is known for fog, but it’s not uniform across the city. Westlake sits close to the coastal influence, which keeps temperatures cool and steady. Areas farther inland, like Serramonte, often see clearer afternoons. Compared to San Francisco:

• The Sunset District shares a similar cool climate. Nopa, Hayes Valley, and the Mission are noticeably warmer and sunnier.
• Fog tends to stop right around John Daly Boulevard and Skyline, so small changes in location make a real difference.

For many people, Daly City’s climate is a plus. The mild temperatures make everyday life comfortable and reduce reliance on AC, fans, or heat during extreme weather events.

Daily Life in Daly City

Shopping and Errands
Living at Westlake puts almost every daily essential within a few minutes of home. Westlake Shopping Center includes grocery stores, cafes, banks, gyms, barbers, and specialty shops. Serramonte Center offers a wide range of retailers, from Uniqlo to Target, as well as several fast-casual dining options.

Dining and Local Food Culture
Daly City’s food scene is shaped by strong Filipino, Chinese, and Latin American communities. Within 10 minutes of Westlake, you’ll find:

• Tselogs for Filipino comfort food
• Koi Palace, a well-known dim sum restaurant
• Original Joe’s Westlake, a classic Daly City landmark

These options offer everyday affordability and variety that can be harder to find in many San Francisco neighborhoods. Check our our posts about our favorite restaurants at Westlake Shopping Center, or the best local places to get coffee and breakfast.

Parks and Outdoor Recreation

Daly City gives you quick access to a wide range of scenic beaches and outdoor spaces, many of which feel completely different from one another. From Westlake, most are a short drive away, and each offers its own kind of escape:

• Thornton State Beach — A quiet bluffside area with wide, open views of the Pacific. The paths here are great for low-key walks, dog outings, or simply finding a spot to watch the sunset without crowds.
• Mussel Rock Park — Known for its cliffside trail network and coastal overlooks. On clear days, you can see all the way down the coastline. It’s also a popular launching spot for paragliders, which adds a lively backdrop on windy afternoons.
• Mori Point (Pacifica)— A short and scenic hike that takes you from the base of the bluffs up to panoramic viewpoints. Wildflowers line the trails in spring, and the coastal air stays cool even on warm days.
• San Bruno Mountain State Park— One of the best vantage points in the region. Trails range from easy loops to longer ridge hikes, and the top provides wide views of San Francisco, the Bay, and the ocean. Lake Merced— A 4.5-mile paved loop popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists. It’s flat, accessible, and close enough for a quick weekday outing.

All of these spots are generally within 10 to 15 minutes of Westlake, which gives residents an easy mix of coastal trails, city-adjacent parks, and quiet open spaces to explore throughout the week.

A Quick Neighborhood Guide to Daly City

Westlake
Westlake is one of Daly City’s most self-contained neighborhoods, and that’s a big part of its appeal. The area was built in the mid-century and still carries that signature look: low-rise buildings, curved streets, and a walkable commercial core. Westlake Shopping Center sits at the center of it all with Trader Joe’s, Safeway, Target, cafés, gyms, and services that make daily errands simple.

For commuters, the location is hard to beat. Daly City BART is a short drive or bus ride away, and Highway 280 is right down the street. Living here means you can reach downtown San Francisco, the Peninsula, and the coast without long cross-city detours. Westlake Apartments is positioned within this neighborhood grid, so residents get the convenience of the shopping center, nearby parks, and transit access without feeling tucked away or isolated.

St. Francis
St. Francis sits just west of Westlake and feels more residential. Streets are lined with single-family homes, and the terrain slopes gently toward the Pacific, which creates pockets with distant ocean views on clear days. The neighborhood provides quick access to Pacifica’s beaches and trailheads, making it an easy launch point for morning hikes or weekend surf trips. Skyline College is nearby, bringing a steady flow of cafés, takeout spots, and student-friendly services along Skyline Boulevard.

Serramonte
Serramonte has a more suburban structure, centered around the large Serramonte Center retail district. This area draws people from all over the Peninsula thanks to stores like Target, Uniqlo, Costco (just beyond the border), and a growing roster of restaurants. Housing in Serramonte ranges from older homes to newer townhouse-style developments, with many properties situated on quiet, winding residential streets. The neighborhood connects quickly to Highway 280, which makes commutes toward San Francisco, South San Francisco, and Silicon Valley straightforward.

Southern Hills
Southern Hills sits along the ridge that separates Daly City from the Excelsior and Crocker-Amazon neighborhoods of San Francisco. It tends to get more sun than the west side of Daly City because of its elevation, and some streets offer wide views of downtown San Francisco and the Bay. Homes here sit on hilly, tree-lined blocks that feel tucked away despite being minutes from Mission Street. Access to McLaren Park, one of San Francisco’s largest parks, is an added perk for residents who spend time outdoors.

Balancing the Differences

People who move from San Francisco to Daly City sometimes miss the ability to walk to a dense cluster of cafés, restaurants, and small shops within a few blocks. San Francisco’s neighborhoods offer more varied street life, broader transit coverage, and a wider range of nightlife and cultural events close at hand. That everyday mix of energy, convenience, and variety is the main thing people point to when comparing the two cities.

Why Westlake Gives You the Best of Both Worlds

Living at Westlake makes it easy to enjoy the proximity of San Francisco without the daily trade-offs that come with living in the city itself. You’re close to downtown through BART or 280, yet can enjoy more affordable rentals, easier parking, and stores that support day-to-day living without long trips across town.

The essentials are walkable, outdoor recreation is minutes away, and San Francisco is close enough for work, nightlife, and weekend plans without dominating your everyday routine.