San Francisco vs. Kansas City: The Ultimate Football Town Showdown

A team is nothing without its fanbase. As you prepare for the big day, here’s a peek at what San Francisco and Kansas City, MO have to offer their fans — including what a cool $1 million contract gets you if you’re shopping for a home. And since we’re good sports, we also included key stats for the two cities that were runners-up to the big game.

San Francisco vs. Kansas City: A comparison

San Francisco

This iconic American city is beloved around the world for its beauty and culturally rich lifestyle. From the cable cars to the Golden Gate Bridge, to historic neighborhoods and Fisherman’s Wharf, the city feels timeless. An explosion of well-paying tech jobs has turned San Francisco into one of the most expensive cities in the country, one able to support fine dining and arts at a level few places can match. The cost of housing makes buying prohibitive for all but the most affluent, and while homes take longer to sell than in other cities, more than half sell above the listing price.

The numbers*:

Typical home value: $1,216,087, down 5.6% year-over-year 

# of homes for sale: 1,234

Median time from list to pending: 38 days

% of sales over list price: 52.9%

Typical rent:  $3,295

Hottest market rank: 30th

Kansas City

This sports-obsessed city offers a laid-back lifestyle, award-winning barbecue and the kind of weather that reminds you that there are indeed four seasons. Kansas City has a love of fountains that runs so deep that there are more than 200 of them throughout the city, a number second only to Rome. The city’s rich jazz traditions are alive and well, as is its well-established cultural scene, which includes museums and galleries. Homes are selling quickly here — a mere 12 days from listing to pending — as people seek to lock in an affordable lifestyle.

The numbers:

Typical home value: $224,794, up 6% year-over-year 

# of homes for sale: 1,342 

Median time from list to pending: 12 days

% of sales over list price: 38%

Typical rent: $1,300 

Hottest market rank: 18th

Popular listings in San Francisco vs. Kansas City 

We rounded up the top Zillow® listings in each metro based on the number views in the first two weeks of this year.

San Francisco

$2.99 million | 4 bedrooms, 3 baths | 2,553 square feet   

What makes it pop: A pristine home with immaculate landscaping and Pacific Ocean views.

Enjoy the sparkle

Kansas City

$260,000 | 2 bedrooms, 1 bath | 1,030 square feet   

What makes it pop: A midwestern charmer with the works: original hardwood, exposed brick, built-in bookshelves, not to mention those French doors off the dining room.

Curl up in front of the fireplace

What $1M buys in San Francisco vs. Kansas City

San Francisco

$949,000 | 3 beds, 1 baths | 1,565 square feet   

What makes it pop: A tall, slim Edwardian flat with bay windows on a hill — what’s more classically San Francisco than that? You even get a backyard for game-day BBQs.

Feel the city’s vibe

Kansas City

$1,000,000 | 3 beds, 3 baths | 3,200 square feet   

What makes it pop: An especially exquisite Tuscan kitchen that’ll make you feel like the MVP while cooking game-day meals.

Throw great parties

The runners-up: Baltimore and Detroit

Baltimore

Located along the Chesapeake Bay with a seemingly endless stretch of shoreline, Baltimore has water views for miles. People here go all-in for their sports teams, which includes a professional women’s football team. The city has a well-established arts scene, and its central location on the East Coast makes for easy commutes and weekend jaunts to Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C. If you love crab, you’ll feel like you’re in heaven here. The ubiquitous blue crab can be found on menus throughout the city, so grab a mallet and dig in. Although home prices are way below what you’d find in cities of similar size, the market is relatively cool, which gives shoppers time to consider their options.

The numbers*:

Typical home value:  $177,194, up 3% year-over-year 

# of homes for sale: 2,266

Median time from list to pending: 21 days

% of sales over list price: 35.7%

Typical rent: $1,500

Hottest market rank: 43rd

Most popular home in Baltimore

$850,000 | 5 bedrooms, 5 baths | 3,750 square feet   

What makes it pop: A true stone house that’s rich with history — and a bright solarium off the kitchen.

Check out the kitchen skylights

What $1M buys in Baltimore

$990,944 | 3 beds, 3 baths | 3,040 square feet   

What makes it pop: A classic, well-preserved colonial with gorgeous mahogany and oak throughout. Which of the sitting rooms will get transformed into your ultimate football den?

Climb the heavenly stairway

Detroit

The auto capital of the world is evolving into an emerging tech center with a growing public transit system and an urban core that is adding new homes as part of $3 billion worth of new developments. Detroit has a culturally rich dining scene that reflects its diverse population, and while the cost of living is relatively low, it comes with an established arts scene featuring live theater, a symphony orchestra, and art museums. The Detroit International RiverWalk is a gathering place that stretches for three miles along the Detroit River, which marks the border between the U.S. and Canada. Home prices are among the most affordable in the nation, and buyers have more time to buy than in other hottest markets.

The numbers:

Typical home value:  $65,187, down 2.9% year-over-year 

# of homes for sale: 3,099

Median time from list to pending: 26 days

% of sales over list price: 28.8%

Typical rent: $1,200

Hottest market rank: 24th

Most popular home in Detroit

$40,000 | 4 bedrooms, 2 baths | 2,027 square feet   

What makes it pop: A big corner-lot brick colonial with ample space for cookouts in the fenced backyard.

Fire up the barbecue

What $1M buys in Detroit

$949,000 | 7 beds, 6 baths | 7,533 square feet   

What makes it pop: A massive historic home with a theater inside an old bank-style vault for one-of-a-kind game-day parties. A separate carriage house for guests makes this the ultimate place to host late games. 

Become a part of history

Which city do you think would win the contest? Check out other real estate “matchups”.

*Home values, inventory, list price as of December 2023; days to pending as of December 31, 2023.