Santa Clara County · California · West · 990k residents
San Jose, CA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for San Jose: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the California median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: Curated city row; coverage varies by fact.
The median home value in San Jose is $1,450,000, 105% above the California median. A two-bedroom rents for about $3,550/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 168 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $133,000 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findingsLimited coverage: This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
Silicon Valley’s urban center, with a technology economy layered over older agricultural and immigrant histories.
Known for: Innovation, the tech corridor, Vietnamese American culture, and access to the South Bay outdoors.
Calendar note: The city calendar includes the Vietnamese Tet Festival and cultural events downtown.
Story source: Visit San Jose
- Scale: A large city with a quarter-million or more residents in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places San Jose about 14 miles from the nearest tracked mountain.
- Climate signal: The profile records 257 sunny days and 0 inches of annual snow.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 51 and an average commute of 30 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare San Jose side by side
Cost of living index
168
Median home value
$1,450,000
2-bedroom rent
$3,550/mo
Median household income
$133,000
Housing momentum
How fast San Jose's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
43/100
Steady
Ranks San Jose's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by San Jose's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| Median home value | $1,450,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $900 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $2,900/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $3,550/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 9.38% |
| Cost of living index | 168 |
| Groceries index | 114 |
| Utilities | $230/mo |
| Transit pass | $90/mo |
| Gas price | $4.70/gal |
| Healthcare index | 110 |
| Childcare (per child) | $2,200/mo |
| Median household income | $133,000 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% |
| Population | 990k |
| Crime index | 36/100 |
| School rating | 7.5/10 |
| Walkability | 51/100 |
| Disaster risk | 100/100 |
| Avg. commute | 30 min |
| Sunny days / year | 257 days |
| July high | 82°F |
| January low | 43°F |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in |
| Home price YoY | -2.2% |
| Home price MoM | -0.8% |
| Rent YoY | +4.8% |
| Rent MoM | +0.5% |
| Ocean coast | 31 mi |
| Big lake | 85 mi |
| Mountains | 14 mi |
| Major airport | 3 mi |
| Ski resort | 133 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Milpitas, CA · 79k
- Santa Clara, CA · 130k
- Sunnyvale, CA · 154k
- Mountain View, CA · 84k
- Cupertino, CA · 59k
Similar size
- San Francisco, CA · 830k
- San Diego, CA · 1.4M
- Fresno, CA · 546k
- Sacramento, CA · 529k
- Long Beach, CA · 456k
Real listings in San Jose
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in San Jose, CA?
- San Jose indexes at 168 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $3,550/mo and a median home value of $1,450,000.
- How much does a house cost in San Jose?
- The median home value in San Jose is $1,450,000, 105% above the California median (compiled estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in San Jose?
- A two-bedroom in San Jose rents for about $3,550/mo.