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San Jose, CA Cost of Living Calculator

Prices in the San Jose, CA area are 10.4% above the US average, and housing 111.9% above (BEA, 2024). Compare a salary here with anywhere else.

Prices in an average US city are 9.4% lower than in San Jose, CA, so $75,000 in San Jose, CA buys what $67,935 buys in an average US city.

The same living standard in an average US city
$67,935
Prices overall
-9.4%
Housing costs
-52.8%

San Jose, CA price levels by category (US average = 100)

CategoryPrice levelAgainst the US
All items110.410.4% above
Housing211.9111.9% above
Goods105.25.2% above
Utilities156.756.7% above
Other services100.3about the same as

What $75,000 in San Jose, CA equals in other large metros

Metro areaEquivalent salaryPrices
New York, NY$76,4952.0%
Los Angeles, CA$77,1742.9%
Chicago, IL$70,380−6.2%
Dallas, TX$70,041−6.6%
Houston, TX$66,984−10.7%
Washington, DC$73,981−1.4%
Philadelphia, PA$69,701−7.1%
Atlanta, GA$68,003−9.3%
Miami, FL$77,5823.4%
Phoenix, AZ$70,177−6.4%

How this calculator works

BEA regional price parities for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area, 2024: the price of the same basket of goods and services against the US average (100). Equivalent salaries scale by the ratio of the two areas' price levels.

What it assumes

  • Before tax, and averaged across the whole metro area.

Questions people ask

Is San Jose expensive to live in?

Overall prices are 10.4% above the US average; housing is 111.9% above.

What salary do I need in San Jose, CA?

To match $75,000 in an average-cost place, about $82,800. The area's median household income is $162,111.

How much is rent in San Jose, CA?

The median gross rent (including utilities) is $2,840 a month (Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

How does San Jose, CA compare with New York?

New York prices are 2.0% relative to San Jose, CA: $75,000 here equals $76,495 there.

Nearby and large metro areas

Related calculators

  • Cost of Living CalculatorWhat salary in another city gives you the same standard of living, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 price levels for 193 metro areas.
  • San Jose, CA Rent Affordability CalculatorThe median rent in the San Jose, CA area is $2,840 a month including utilities, which takes 21% of the median household income ($162,111). Paying it on 30% of income needs about $113,600 a year.
  • Paycheck CalculatorWhat you take home from each paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, with 2026 tax rates for every state.

Sources

Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.