Lake Forest vs Redwood City
The short version
- Lake Forest is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Redwood City area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $937,000 in Lake Forest and $1,801,700 in Redwood City.
- Households earn more in Redwood City ($157,814 vs $135,175 median).
- Lake Forest has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 59°F.
- Lake Forest is growing faster: +0.5% since 2020 vs -2.5%.
Side by side
| Lake Forest, CA | Redwood City, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 86,333 | 82,178 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.5% | -2.5% |
| People per square mile | 5,165 | 4,250 |
| Median age | 40.2 | 37.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 51% | 54% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $135,175 | $157,814 |
| Median home value | $937,000 | $1,801,700 |
| Home value to income | 6.9× | 11.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,672 | $2,968 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 115.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 170.4 | 194.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,200 | $86,700 |
| Homeowners | 71% | 49% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.5 | 24.3 |
| Work from home | 24% | 27% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.9% | 4.1% |
| Poverty rate | 8.5% | 6.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 43° | 59° / 41° |
| July high / low | 85° / 61° | 81° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 19 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 35 | 18 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 6 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 9 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 99.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 11% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +3.3% | -0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.5% | +17.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Lake Forest: October to July. Redwood City: March to November.
Full monthly tables: Lake Forest weather by month and Redwood City weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $85,200 in Lake Forest and $86,700 in Redwood City. Moving from Lake Forest to Redwood City, you would need about $76,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Lake Forest and Redwood City
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Lake Forest and Redwood City.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.