San Francisco · United States
August
Outside Lands weekend is extraordinary; otherwise peak-season prices with lingering fog.
Worth considering
#11 of 12 months
There are better months for San Francisco — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
18°C
Low
12.3°C
Rain
1mm
Sun
8hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How August scores in San Francisco
Weather
Above average
Value
Below average
Crowds
Below average
Events
Excellent
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in August
- ↑Outside Lands Music Festival (typically second or third weekend of August) at Golden Gate Park is one of the premier US music festivals. Headliners in recent years have included Kendrick Lamar, The Killers, and SZA — the lineup is consistently excellent and the setting within Golden Gate Park, surrounded by eucalyptus and fog, is genuinely unique. Tickets sell out months in advance and cost $300–400 for a weekend pass, but the festival also has an exceptional food and wine program representing the best Bay Area producers.
- ↑Fog burn-off is slightly more reliable in August than July — afternoons are more consistently clear by 1–2pm, and the East Bay and San Jose reach genuine summer warmth (26–30°C) on the same days SF stays at 18°C. A BART trip across the bay for a warm-weather fix is a real strategy used by SF residents.
- ↑Late August sees slightly decreasing tourist pressure as European summer visitors depart and US school-year travel winds down — the second half of August is marginally less crowded than the first.
What you sacrifice
- ↓Hotel prices remain at their annual peak in August, rivaling July. The combination of peak domestic travel and European summer vacations keeps rates elevated throughout the month, with no meaningful discount until after Labor Day.
- ↓Outside Lands weekend specifically causes a city-wide accommodation crunch — Golden Gate Park neighbourhood hotels and Airbnbs near the park are essentially inaccessible at reasonable prices during the festival weekend. Book those three days six months ahead.
- ↓The Karl the Fog marine layer remains active in August, particularly in the mornings — visitors staying in the Sunset or Richmond districts may experience significantly cooler and greyer conditions than those on the eastern, bay-facing side of the city.
How August compares to October (best month)
| Factor | August | October ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 5 | 9 |
| Value | 3 | 6 |
| Crowds | 3 | 6 |
August in other destinations
Lisbon (26.5°C)Barcelona (28.6°C)Tokyo (32.1°C)Bali (29.9°C)Santorini (26°C)Paris (24.3°C)New York (27.7°C)Marrakech (35.8°C)Amsterdam (21.4°C)Maldives (30.3°C)Rome (30.4°C)Bangkok (31.5°C)Istanbul (28°C)Vienna (25.9°C)Seoul (29°C)Dubrovnik (28.5°C)Rio de Janeiro (25.9°C)Kyoto (33.7°C)Phuket (31.3°C)Cape Town (17.2°C)Prague (26°C)Amalfi Coast (31°C)Mexico City (23°C)Medellín (29°C)Fiji (26°C)London (24°C)Sydney (18°C)Iceland (14°C)Tulum (33°C)Dubai (42°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (31°C)Miami (33.3°C)Florence (31.8°C)Queenstown (9°C)Madrid (35.2°C)Porto (27°C)Edinburgh (19°C)Copenhagen (22°C)Budapest (28°C)Kraków (24°C)Tbilisi (31°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (32°C)Osaka (34°C)Goa (30°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (15°C)Mykonos (30°C)Zanzibar (26°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (33°C)Seville (36°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (31°C)Havana (32°C)Split (30°C)Taipei (34°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (32°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (31°C)Cappadocia (32°C)Dominican Republic (32°C)Jamaica (33°C)Tanzania (23°C)Seychelles (26°C)Nepal (27°C)Jordan (36°C)Azores (27°C)Bora Bora (26°C)Los Angeles (28.5°C)Cairo (38.2°C)Kenya (24°C)Jaipur (32.8°C)Las Vegas (40.1°C)Madeira (28°C)Vancouver (23.3°C)Muscat (38.5°C)Lima (17.2°C)Cinque Terre (29°C)Kotor (32°C)Tel Aviv (32°C)Santiago (15°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (22.4°C)Penang (32.3°C)Lombok (30.4°C)Cape Verde (29.5°C)Fez (37.2°C)Kerala (29°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (31°C)Oslo (23°C)Auckland (14°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within San Francisco, not across destinations. Methodology →