?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Menlo Park, CA vs Mountain View, 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 Menlo Park needs about $88,000 in Mountain View to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Mountain View, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $82,000 in Menlo Park.

A few differences

Menlo Park vs Mountain View · facet by facet
FacetMenlo Park, CAMountain View, CA
Median home price$2,000,001$1,927,000
2-bedroom rent$3,501/mo$3,340/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index228222
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$210,025$189,917
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: Menlo Park, CA · Mountain View, CA
Questions & answers
Is Menlo Park cheaper than Mountain View?
Mountain View has the lower day-to-day cost index (222 vs 228 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Mountain View equals $85,000 in Menlo Park?
A household earning $85,000 in Menlo Park needs about $88,000 in Mountain View to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Mountain View lifestyle costs about $82,000 in Menlo Park.