San Francisco Cash-Out Refinance Calculator
Estimate a refinance and compare taking cash out against a straight rate-and-term refi — your new monthly payment, cash to you, resulting loan-to-value, and break-even on closing costs. Educational estimate, never a quote. Pre-filled with San Francisco's ~$1,400,000 median home value; edit any field to match your home.
How a cash-out refinance works
A cash-out refinance replaces your existing mortgage with a new, larger loan and gives you the difference in cash. On a primary residence, conventional and FHA cash-out are generally capped at 80% of your home's value (LTV); VA cash-out can go higher for eligible borrowers. The cash is often used to consolidate higher-interest debt, fund improvements, or cover a large expense — but it resets your loan and adds closing costs (typically 2%–5%).
A rate-and-term refinance takes no cash out — it just replaces your loan to lower the rate or change the term, so the calculator also shows your monthly savings and how many months it takes to break even on closing costs. If you'd rather borrow against equity without refinancing your first mortgage, see the HELOC vs. HELOAN calculator.
Common questions
How much cash can I take out?
Most primary-residence cash-out refinances cap the new loan at 80% of your home's value; VA cash-out can go higher for eligible veterans. Your available cash is that cap minus your current balance and closing costs. The calculator estimates this from your value and balance.
Cash-out or rate-and-term — which should I pick?
Choose cash-out if you need funds from your equity; choose rate-and-term if you only want a lower rate or a different term with no cash out. The calculator lets you switch between them and shows the payment, cash, LTV, and break-even for each.
Is this a quote?
No. It is an educational estimate using illustrative rates and standard LTV caps — not a quote, pre-qualification, or commitment to lend. MortEdu is an educational publisher, not a lender, broker, or servicer. Verify every figure with a licensed lender.
Built on San Francisco, California figures
Borrowable equity on a San Francisco home at the San Francisco median value of $1,400,000, shown at three lender CLTV ceilings. Assumes you still owe half the value. Typical California statewide homeowners insurance runs about $5,656 a year at this value.
| Combined loan-to-value | Max total borrowing | If you owe 50% | Equity available |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80% CLTV | $1,120,000 | $560,000 | $420,000 |
| 85% CLTV | $1,190,000 | $595,000 | $490,000 |
| 90% CLTV | $1,260,000 | $630,000 | $560,000 |
San Francisco is a compact, high-density City and County where a large share of the housing stock is condominiums, tenancies-in-common, and older Victorian and Edwardian homes rather than new construction. Prices sit among the highest in the nation - Zillow pegs the typical home value near $1.4 million, while Redfin has reported recent median sale prices around $1.7 million - which means most buyers face jumbo-loan territory above the county's high-cost conforming limit. Beyond price, buyers weigh seismic considerations tied to the region's active faults and liquefaction zones, condo/HOA and TIC financing nuances, and an effective property-tax rate of roughly 1.18% under California's Proposition 13 framework. This page is educational only and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed lender, real-estate professional, or attorney.
Why insurance moves the number here: Earthquake is San Francisco's dominant natural hazard: the San Andreas and Hayward faults drive strong ground-shaking risk, and roughly a quarter of the nine-county Bay region sits in mapped liquefaction zones, including bayfront and former-landfill areas such as the Marina, SoMa, and Mission Bay; the city enforces seismic requirements including its soft-story retrofit program. Wildfire risk inside the dense city limits is comparatively low - most of San Francisco is a Local Responsibility Area with limited Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone acreage under CAL FIRE mapping - but statewide insurer pullback has pushed many Californians toward the CA FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort (roughly 684,000 policies in force as of March 2026), which can affect availability and cost of coverage. Flood exposure is concentrated along the bay shoreline and low-lying reclaimed land, with FEMA flood zones, sea-level-rise projections, and coastal tsunami evacuation zones relevant to waterfront properties. Buyers should confirm current hazard-zone status and insurance availability for any specific address. Wind exposure is a large part of why a San Francisco payment can differ from the same price elsewhere, so the insurance figure above is doing real work in the total.
Median value plus the county property-tax rate and statewide insurance figure come from public data held in this site’s own dataset. Payments use an illustrative 6.875% 30-year rate and are estimates for education only — never a quote, offer, or approval. Change any input in the calculator above to model your own scenario.
Understanding the San Francisco Market
San Francisco sits in San Francisco County, California. Neighborhoods such as Pacific Heights, Mission District, Noe Valley, Sunset District, and Bernal Heights each carry their own mix of home ages, price tiers, and insurance considerations that are worth understanding before you set a budget in San Francisco.
A buyer planning a budget in San Francisco usually starts from the area's approximate median home value of about $1,400,000 (a rough market benchmark, not a quote).
Taken together, the median price, San Francisco County tax rate, and insurance outlook are what shape a realistic monthly payment in San Francisco — which is why the calculator above is pre-set with this county's numbers. Adjust the inputs to match your own situation, and confirm current figures with a licensed California lender of your choice before making any decisions.