Santa Clara County · California · West · 154k residents
Sunnyvale, CA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Sunnyvale: 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: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in Sunnyvale is $1,801,800, 154% above the California median. A two-bedroom rents for about $3,269/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 214 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $186,170 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Sunnyvale is $1,801,800, 154.4% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Household income: Median household income is $186,170, 87.6% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Adult education: 69.3% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 113.9% above the median for ACS-covered places in California.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 9.7 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
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.
A Silicon Valley city where orchards became technology campuses without erasing the valley’s garden history.
Known for: Technology, compact neighborhoods, Caltrain access, and former orchard lands.
Calendar note: The Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival is a signature community event.
Story source: City of Sunnyvale
- Scale: A mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Sunnyvale about 22 miles from the nearest tracked mountain.
- Climate signal: The profile records 260 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 38 and an average commute of 29 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Sunnyvale side by side
Cost of living index
214
ACS median home value
$1,801,800
2-bedroom rent
$3,269/mo
Median household income
$186,170
Housing momentum
How fast Sunnyvale's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
54/100
Steady
Ranks Sunnyvale'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 Sunnyvale's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $1,801,800 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $470 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $2,732/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $3,269/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.8% |
| Cost of living index | 214 |
| Groceries index | 112 |
| Utilities | $245/mo |
| Transit pass | $90/mo |
| Gas price | $4.80/gal |
| Healthcare index | 108 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,450/mo |
| Median household income | $186,170 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% |
| Population | 154k |
| Crime index | 52/100 |
| School rating | 5.5/10 |
| Walkability | 38/100 |
| Disaster risk | 100/100 |
| Avg. commute | 29 min |
| Sunny days / year | 260 days |
| July high | 77°F |
| January low | 42°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +0.1% |
| Home price MoM | -0.8% |
| Rent YoY | +5.4% |
| Rent MoM | +0.6% |
| Ocean coast | 26 mi |
| Big lake | 86 mi |
| Mountains | 22 mi |
| Major airport | 6 mi |
| Ski resort | 140 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Mountain View, CA · 84k
- Cupertino, CA · 59k
- Santa Clara, CA · 130k
- Palo Alto, CA · 67k
- San Jose, CA · 990k
Similar size
- Roseville, CA · 156k
- Hayward, CA · 159k
- Escondido, CA · 150k
- Corona, CA · 160k
- Pomona, CA · 148k
Real listings in Sunnyvale
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 Sunnyvale, CA?
- Sunnyvale indexes at 214 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $3,269/mo and a acs median home value of $1,801,800.
- How much does a house cost in Sunnyvale?
- The acs median home value in Sunnyvale is $1,801,800, 154% above the California median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Sunnyvale?
- A two-bedroom in Sunnyvale rents for about $3,269/mo.