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Best cheap homeowners insurance in San Francisco

Updated Nov 11, 2024
Bankrate’s insurance editorial team has identified the top home insurance companies in San Francisco.
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Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.

The best cheap home insurance companies San Francisco

Californians are having a hard time securing home insurance coverage, and San Francisco is no exception. Some of the largest home insurance providers in the state have either stopped writing or seriously scaled back the number of policies they’re willing to write in California. Although San Francisco’s position along a peninsula helps shield it from some of the worst of California’s blazing wildfires, the city still has a 3 in 4 chance of getting hit with a damaging earthquake in the next 30 years. The limited provider availability, coupled with the added risk, can make finding San Francisco home insurance difficult. But, Bankrate’s insurance editorial team did research into which home insurance companies are still writing new policies in the Bay Area. According to our research, USAA, Chubb and Mercury write some of the best home insurance in San Francisco.

Best for customer service

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
4.7

Avg. annual premium

$630

$300K dwelling coverage

JD Power

737/1,000

Why USAA made our list: USAA is only available to qualifying members of the military and their family members. Although its strict eligibility requirements preclude it from official J.D. Power ranking, USAA consistently receives high scores for customer service and claims satisfaction. Its default home insurance policies are robust, with replacement cost coverage pre-included and free access to the USAA Wildfire Response Program.  Earthquake coverage is also available.

Why USAA may be the best for customer service: USAA tied for the Best Home Insurance Company Overall Bankrate Award for the third year in a row, due in part to its high J.D. Power scores and superior AM Best rating for financial strength.

Scores and Ratings
Bankrate Score 4.7
J.D. Power 737/1,000
AM Best Rating A++
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Best for high-value homes

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5
4.3

Avg. annual premium

$2,266

$300K dwelling coverage

JD Power

688/1,000

Why Chubb made our list: Chubb gears many of its insurance products toward more expensive homes, and has the financial strength ratings to back up its sky-high coverage limits. Chubb boasts an A++ (Superior) from AM Best and an AA from Standard & Poor’s, indicating that the company has a strong availability to make good on its policyholders’ insurance claims.

Why Chubb may be the best for high-value homes: Chubb was awarded the 2024 Bankrate Award for Best Home Insurance Company for High-Value Homes. Chubb could be a great fit for San Francisco homeowners with expensive homes looking for no-corners-cut home insurance coverage. With Chubb, policyholders can access complementary risk consulting, a cash settlement option in the event of a covered total loss and replacement cost coverage already included.

Scores and Ratings
Bankrate Score 4.3
J.D. Power 688/1,000
AM Best Rating A++
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Best for working with a local agent

Bankrate Score

Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5
4.3

Avg. annual premium

$828

$300K dwelling coverage

JD Power

586/1,000

Why Mercury made our list: Mercury is a regional insurance company that offers home insurance in 10 states, California among them. Although it is a smaller company, it is one of the top ten insurers in the state by market share. Mercury’s base policy comes with a generous 150 percent extended replacement cost dwelling coverage, along with identity theft protection.

Why Mercury may be the best for working with a local agent: Mercury has four different offices throughout San Francisco in the Pacific Heights, Outer Sunset, Duboce Triangle and Soma neighborhoods. Having a dedicated, in-person home insurance agent could be a plus for homeowners who prefer to manage their policy at an office as opposed to on their desktop or phone.

Scores and Ratings
Bankrate Score 4.3
J.D. Power 586/1,000
AM Best Rating A
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Bankrate's trusted insurance industry expertise

Read our full methodology

Bankrate knows that finding home insurance in California can be a challenge. Our insurance editorial team thoroughly researched our selections for the best home insurance companies in San Francisco to ensure that each carrier we chose as the best is still actively writing policies in California. Additionally, we update our average rates every month to provide you the best quality analysis.

46

years of industry experience

122

carriers reviewed

34.5K

ZIP codes examined

1.2M

quotes analyzed

The cheapest home insurance companies in San Francisco

San Francisco is already an expensive city, and homeowners may not want to spend an arm and a leg on their home insurance premiums. Below, we’ve compiled the cheapest home insurance companies in San Francisco for a variety of dwelling limits. Keep in mind that, when it comes to home insurance, a higher dwelling limit will usually result in a higher premium.

Caret Down Icon
$53
$630
$69
$828
Armed Forces
$69
$833
$96
$1,157
$56
$630
$76
$828
Armed Forces
$80
$833
$107
$1,157
$64
$765
$91
$1,097
Armed Forces
$103
$1,235
$128
$1,539
$97
$1,162
$139
$1,673
Armed Forces
$176
$2,108
$210
$2,516
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Advertising disclosure
This advertisement is powered by Coverage.com, LLC, a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249) and a corporate affiliate of Bankrate. The offers and links that appear on this advertisement are from companies that compensate Coverage.com in different ways. The compensation received and other factors, such as your location, may impact what offers and links appear, and how, where and in what order they appear. While we seek to provide a wide range of offers, we do not include every product or service that may be available. Our goal is to keep information accurate and timely, but some information may not be current. Your actual offer from an advertiser may be different from the offer on this advertisement. All offers are subject to additional terms and conditions.

Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.

How much is home insurance in San Francisco, California?

The average cost of San Francisco is $1,370 per year for $300,000 in dwelling coverage. This is about 7 percent less than the California average of $1,480 per year. Both numbers seem low in comparison to the national average of $2,304, especially considering the high level of wildfire risk.

California’s insurance laws prevent insurers from raising rates in excess of 7 percent, which locks rates in at a lower level. While this may seem like a bonus to homeowners, it is actually a major contributor to the ongoing insurance crisis in California. Without the ability to raise rates to a level that accurately reflects the risk of insuring a California home, many home insurance companies (like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Nationwide and Travelers) have been left with no other option but to drastically limit the number of new policies written in California — or stop writing new policies altogether.

Home insurance, like auto and life, is an individual product in more ways than one. Not only can you tailor a policy to suit your insurance needs, but your personal rating factors like how old your home is and the deductible you choose can affect the overall cost of your San Francisco home insurance policy.

San Francisco rates by home age

San Francisco’s beautiful old Victorian homes are part of what gives the city its charm — but they could also be more expensive to insure. In fact, U.S. Census data shows that more than half of San Francisco homes were built before World War II. Older homes typically result in higher home insurance premiums: If a home is built with harder-to-source materials, it could cost an insurer more if the home is deemed a total loss. To account for this potential extra cost, insurers tend to charge higher home insurance rates to older homes.

$793
$800
$768
$684
$582
$1,173
$1,213
$1,244
$1,034
$659
Armed Forces
$1,138
$1,201
$1,231
$1,083
$618
$1,450
$1,459
$1,474
$1,375
$923
$1,719
$1,724
$1,708
$1,407
$1,017

San Francisco rates by deductible amount

If you’re facing a home insurance premium that’s stretching your budget thin, think about raising your deductible. Your home insurance deductible is the amount of financial responsibility you agree to take on after filing a covered claim. In general, choosing a higher deductible insurance policy will lower your annual premium. However, be careful not to raise it too high — your deductible should always be an amount of money you are financially able to go without after a covered loss.

$584
$584
$518
$788
$691
$587
Armed Forces
$833
$718
$653
$1,066
$982
$769
$1,219
$1,117
$1,013

Frequently asked questions

Methodology

Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze November 2024 rates for all ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quoted rates are based on married male and female homeowners with a clean claim history, good credit and the following coverage limits:

  • Coverage A, Dwelling: $150,000, $300,000, $350,000, $450,000, $750,000
  • Coverage B, Other Structures: $15,000, $30,000, $35,000, $45,000, $75,000
  • Coverage C, Personal Property: $75,000, $150,000, $175,000, $225,000, $375,000
  • Coverage D, Loss of Use: $30,000, $60,000, $70,000, $90,000, $150,000
  • Coverage E, Liability: $500,000
  • Coverage F, Medical Payments: $1,000

The homeowners also have a $1,000 deductible, a $500 hail deductible and a 2 percent hurricane deductible (or the next closest deductible amounts that are available) where separate deductibles apply.

These are sample rates and should be used for comparative purposes only. Your quotes will differ.

Year built: Rates were calculated based on the following years built for homes and assigned to our homeowners: “1959, 1982, 1992, 2010, 2015 (base) and 2020.”

Bankrate Scores

Our 2024 Bankrate Score considers variables our insurance editorial team determined impacts policyholders’ experiences with an insurance company. These rating factors include a robust assessment of each company’s product availability, financial strength ratings, online capabilities and customer and claims support accessibility. Each factor was added to a category, and these categories were weighted in a tiered approach to analyze how companies perform in key customer-impacting categories.

Each category was assigned a metric to determine performance, and the weighted sum adds up to a company’s total Bankrate Score — out of 5 points. Our scoring model provides a comprehensive view, indicating when companies excel across several key areas and highlighting where they fall short.

5
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Overall Score
  • Cost & ratings 50%
  • Coverage & savings 30%
  • Support 20%
  • Tier 1 (Cost & ratings): To determine how well auto and home insurance companies satisfy these priorities, average quoted premiums from Quadrant Information Services (if available), as well as any of the latest third-party agency ratings from J.D. Power, AM Best, Demotech and the NAIC, were analyzed.
  • Tier 2 (Coverage & savings): We assessed companies’ coverage options and availability to help policyholders find a provider that balances cost with coverage. Additionally, we evaluated each company’s discount options listed on its website.
  • Tier 3 (Support): To encompass the many ways a home insurance company can support policyholders, we analyzed avenues of customer accessibility along with community support. This analysis incorporated additional financial strength ratings from S&P and Moody’s and factored a company’s corporate sustainability efforts.
Written by
Natalie Todoroff
Writer, Insurance
Natalie Todoroff is an insurance writer and industry analyst for Bankrate. She is based in San Francisco and holds a personal lines insurance license.
Edited by Editor, Insurance