San Franciscans report improving quality of life, but affordability fears keep long-term stability uncertain

A more positive outlook, with a persistent economic brake

San Francisco residents are reporting a brighter day-to-day experience in the city, while simultaneously expressing unease about whether they can afford to remain long term. The split reflects a familiar local dynamic: satisfaction with the city’s amenities and identity can rise even as the cost of housing, child care and basic necessities continues to shape decisions about staying.

Large-scale surveying in recent years has repeatedly pointed to cost of living as a dominant driver behind residents’ intention to move. Research published in 2025 from a global city sentiment study found affordability to be the primary factor behind plans to leave a city, even as emotional attachment and a sense of belonging strongly correlate with the decision to stay.

What recent surveys show about satisfaction

Public polling and resident surveys have shown that satisfaction can move independently from residents’ financial outlook. San Francisco’s own City Survey—fielded between October and December 2022 among 2,530 residents—captured broad evaluations of municipal services using letter grades. The 2023 results indicated that many service ratings had declined compared with 2019, though libraries and utilities were among the strongest-rated categories and transit showed improvement versus the prior survey period.

At the same time, broader city sentiment measures have tracked an upswing in residents’ overall outlook, consistent with reports of improving “quality of life” assessments compared with prior-year readings. That improvement, however, does not directly resolve whether households feel they can absorb the city’s ongoing cost pressures.

Affordability pressures: not limited to rent

Affordability concerns extend beyond housing. Child care costs in San Francisco are routinely cited as a major burden for families, and the city has moved to expand subsidies significantly, aiming to reduce the pressure that can push households to relocate. Those measures are designed in part to support “aging in place” for families who would otherwise leave when costs rise with children.

In city sentiment research, cost of living repeatedly emerges as the top reason people consider leaving, even when they feel connected to where they live.

Why the two realities can coexist

The apparent contradiction—greater happiness with the city but anxiety about staying—can be explained by how residents separate lived experience from economic feasibility. Cultural opportunities, parks, walkability, and neighborhood identity can lift satisfaction, while monthly expenses and long-term planning (down payments, retirement, child care) determine whether staying is realistic.

Key indicators to watch next

• Changes in housing costs and the pace of new housing delivery
• Enrollment and reach of expanded child care subsidies
• Future City Survey results on safety, cleanliness, and transit reliability
• Population stability among young adults and families with children

For San Francisco, the story is not simply one of comeback or decline. The next phase will be measured in whether improving sentiment can be matched by household-level affordability that allows residents who feel better about the city to actually remain in it.