?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Cupertino, CA vs San Jose, CA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Cupertino needs about $83,500 in San Jose to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from San Jose, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $86,500 in Cupertino.

A few differences

Cupertino vs San Jose · facet by facet
FacetCupertino, CASan Jose, CA
Median home price$2,000,001$1,450,000
2-bedroom rent$3,501/mo$3,550/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%9.38%
Cost of living index228168
Groceries index112114
Utilities$245/mo$230/mo
Median household income$234,707$133,000
Unemployment rate5.2%3.9%
Crime index52/10036/100
School rating5.5/107.5/10
Sunny days / year260 days257 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Cupertino, CA · San Jose, CA
Questions & answers
Is Cupertino cheaper than San Jose?
San Jose has the lower day-to-day cost index (168 vs 228 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in San Jose equals $85,000 in Cupertino?
A household earning $85,000 in Cupertino needs about $83,500 in San Jose to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of San Jose lifestyle costs about $86,500 in Cupertino.