Cost of living in San Jose, CA
The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (1,995,484 people) ranks #9 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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See all 149 cities
Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare San Jose with your city
See what you'd need to earn in San Jose to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from San Francisco, CA, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in San Jose: $127,700
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $127,700 in San Jose, CA to match $135,000 in San Francisco, CA ($7,300 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Both are in California, so state income tax is the same; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in San Jose
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in San Jose
On a $165,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $110,799 after 2026 federal tax ($28,334), Social Security and Medicare ($12,623) and California income tax ($11,100), plus $2,145 in state payroll programs.
Housing
| Measure | San Jose area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,827/mo |
| Median home value | $1,528,500 |
| Median property tax | $10,000+/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $9,050+ |
| Median household income | $164,801 |
Climate and jobs in San Jose
In the San Jose area the average January low is 42°F and the average July high 81°F, and the area has about 16 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.3% in 2025, the same as the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $84,050 a year, 65% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 42°F |
| July high | 81°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 a year |
| Precipitation | 13 in a year |
| Snowfall | 0 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $84,050 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 1.1 million | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the San Jose station (USW00023293), with snowfall from San Jose (USC00047821) because the main station doesn't record it. Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in San Jose
A single retiree spends at least $4,044 a month here if they own their home outright, or about $5,739 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from San Jose
- San Jose to San Francisco
- San Jose to Los Angeles
- San Jose to Sacramento
- San Jose to Stockton
- San Jose to New York
- San Jose to Seattle
- San Jose to San Diego
- San Jose to Austin
- San Francisco to San Jose
- Los Angeles to San Jose
- New York to San Jose
- Sacramento to San Jose
- Seattle to San Jose
- San Diego to San Jose
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the San Jose area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 99.3 of 100), with expected losses of about $1,023 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in California.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in San Jose?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $91,900 in San Jose. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $113,080, and buying the median home with 20% down takes at least $387,874.
Is San Jose expensive?
The San Jose metro area's price level is 110.4 (U.S. = 100), #9 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 211.9, 112% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to San Jose?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, San Jose had a net loss of about 7,585 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in San Jose?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the San Jose area (San Jose weather station), the average January low is 42°F and the average July high 81°F. The area has about 16 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 13 inches of precipitation a year and almost no snow.
What are jobs and pay like in San Jose?
The San Jose metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.3% in 2025, the same as the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $84,050 a year in May 2025, 65% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect San Jose?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 99.3). The highest relative risks are earthquake, landslide, drought.
Compare San Jose with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Moving from California