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Residential comparison · 13 facts

East Palo Alto, CA vs Sunnyvale, 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 East Palo Alto needs about $100,000 in Sunnyvale to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Sunnyvale, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $70,000 in East Palo Alto.

A few differences

East Palo Alto vs Sunnyvale · facet by facet
FacetEast Palo Alto, CASunnyvale, CA
Median home price$1,102,600$1,801,800
2-bedroom rent$2,446/mo$3,269/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index163214
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$113,493$186,170
Unemployment rate5.2%5.2%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating5.5/105.5/10
Sunny days / year260 days260 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: East Palo Alto, CA · Sunnyvale, CA
Questions & answers
Is East Palo Alto cheaper than Sunnyvale?
East Palo Alto has the lower day-to-day cost index (163 vs 214 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Sunnyvale equals $85,000 in East Palo Alto?
A household earning $85,000 in East Palo Alto needs about $100,000 in Sunnyvale to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Sunnyvale lifestyle costs about $70,000 in East Palo Alto.