--- title: "San Francisco vs Vancouver: Class A office comparison" description: "Side-by-side Class A office comparison for San Francisco and Vancouver — rent, vacancy, talent, tax, lease norms, transit, and top submarkets." canonical: https://classa.info/compare/san-francisco-vs-vancouver pageType: comparison lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > San Francisco ($78/sqft, 31.5% vacancy) and Vancouver ($38/sqft, 11.2% vacancy) compete on different axes: San Francisco on talent depth and Vancouver on rent and tax. ## TL;DR - Class A rent: San Francisco $78/sqft vs Vancouver $38/sqft. - Vacancy: San Francisco 31.5% vs Vancouver 11.2%. - Talent index: San Francisco 98 vs Vancouver 84. - Corporate tax: San Francisco 27% vs Vancouver 27%. - Premium flex/seat/month: San Francisco $1,280 vs Vancouver $720. # San Francisco vs Vancouver: Class A office comparison **San Francisco ($78/sqft, 31.5% vacancy) and Vancouver ($38/sqft, 11.2% vacancy) compete on different axes: San Francisco on talent depth and Vancouver on rent and tax.** ## TL;DR - [Class A](/glossary/class-a) rent: San Francisco $78/sqft vs Vancouver $38/sqft. - Vacancy: San Francisco 31.5% vs Vancouver 11.2%. - Talent index: San Francisco 98 vs Vancouver 84. - Corporate tax: San Francisco 27% vs Vancouver 27%. - [Premium flex](/topics/lease-vs-flex)/seat/month: San Francisco $1,280 vs Vancouver $720. ## Market data side-by-side | Metric | San Francisco | Vancouver| | Region | Americas | Americas| | Country | United States | Canada| | Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr) | $78 | $38| | Class A rent (local) | 78 USD | 52 CAD| | Vacancy | 31.5% | 11.2%| | Trend | rising | flat| | Prime yield | 6.5% | 5.2%| | Premium flex / seat / month (USD) | $1,280 | $720| | Submarkets covered | 6 | 5| | Corporate tax | 27% | 27%| ## Lease norms | Metric | San Francisco | Vancouver| | Typical term | 7 yrs | 10 yrs| | Typical rent-free | 22 mos | 10 mos| | Lease norms | Modified-gross with operating-expense escalations over a base year. Rent-free of 18-30 months on a 10-year term is current market for trophy assets in lease-up. TI of $150-$220/sqft is achievable. Termination options at year 5 are increasingly negotiable. | Net leases dominate (tenant pays opex, taxes, insurance separately). 10-year terms standard. Free rent of 8-12 months and TI of C$60-$110/sqft typical on a 10-year Class A deal.| | Tax note | Combined federal + California corporate tax effectively reaches 27%. San Francisco gross receipts tax applies to most occupiers; payroll tax is now phased out. | 15% federal plus 12% British Columbia general corporate income tax for a combined rate of 27%. Vancouver Empty Homes Tax does not apply to commercial; provincial Property Transfer Tax applies on acquisitions.| ## Talent | Metric | San Francisco | Vancouver| | Talent index (0–100) | 98 | 84| | Talent note | Deepest AI/ML and senior software engineering talent pool globally. Average all-in compensation indexes 98 vs. New York's 100. | Deep tech, film and visual effects, mining, and real estate services talent. Strong feed from UBC, SFU, and the BCIT system. Cost-of-living premium versus Toronto and US Pacific Northwest is a meaningful tenant consideration.| ## Transit & commute **San Francisco:** BART, Muni, Caltrain, and the new Salesforce Transit Center anchor commute infrastructure. The Central Subway extension to Chinatown completed in 2023. **Vancouver:** TransLink SkyTrain (Expo, Millennium, Canada Lines) plus SeaBus to North Vancouver and West Coast Express commuter rail. Downtown is highly walkable and SkyTrain-served. ## Top submarkets — San Francisco - [**Transbay**](/cities/san-francisco/transbay) — [trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) · $105/sqft/yr - [**South of Market (SOMA)**](/cities/san-francisco/south-of-market) — trophy tier · $92/sqft/yr - [**Mission Bay & SoMa**](/cities/san-francisco/mission-bay-soma) — prime tier · $80/sqft/yr ## Top submarkets — Vancouver - [**Coal Harbour**](/cities/vancouver/coal-harbour) — trophy tier · C$78/sqft/yr · ≈ $57.7 PSF/yr USD - [**Downtown CBD**](/cities/vancouver/downtown-cbd) — trophy tier · C$70/sqft/yr · ≈ $51.8 PSF/yr USD - [**Yaletown**](/cities/vancouver/yaletown) — prime tier · C$56/sqft/yr · ≈ $41.4 PSF/yr USD ## Decision criteria ### Pick by cost Vancouver is the cheaper Class A market on a USD basis. ### Pick by talent depth San Francisco has the deeper talent index (98/100 vs 84/100). ### Pick by tax Tax data not available for comparison. ### Pick by lease optionality San Francisco typical term is 7 years with 22 months free; Vancouver runs 10 years with 10 months free. ### Pick by transit San Francisco: BART, Muni, Caltrain, and the new Salesforce Transit Center anchor commute infrastructure. The Central Subway extension to Chinatown completed in 2023. Vancouver: TransLink SkyTrain (Expo, Millennium, Canada Lines) plus SeaBus to North Vancouver and West Coast Express commuter rail. Downtown is highly walkable and SkyTrain-served. ## Run a 4-city comparison Score San Francisco, Vancouver and up to two more markets side-by-side on Class A rent, vacancy, talent, corporate tax, and premium flex pricing — all in USD. [**Run a 4-city comparison →**](/tools/city-comparator) ## Frequently asked questions ****Is Class A office cheaper in San Francisco or Vancouver?**** : Vancouver is cheaper on a USD basis: $38/sqft vs $78/sqft. ****Which has better talent depth, San Francisco or Vancouver?**** : San Francisco indexes higher on talent depth (98 vs 84). ****Which has more sublease availability, San Francisco or Vancouver?**** : San Francisco carries higher vacancy (31.5% vs 11.2%) and therefore typically more [sublease](/topics/sublease-strategy)">sublease overhang. ****What lease term should I expect in San Francisco vs Vancouver?**** : San Francisco typical term is 7 years with 22 months rent-free; Vancouver typical term is 10 years with 10 months rent-free. ****How does transit and commuter access compare?**** : San Francisco: BART, Muni, Caltrain, and the new Salesforce Transit Center anchor commute infrastructure. The Central Subway extension to Chinatown completed in 2023. Vancouver: TransLink SkyTrain (Expo, Millennium, Canada Lines) plus SeaBus to North Vancouver and West Coast Express commuter rail. Downtown is highly walkable and SkyTrain-served. ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Miriam Hollander**](/about/authors/miriam-hollander) — Lead market analyst. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/compare/san-francisco-vs-vancouver), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.