Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 58/100
C
Median home value$2,000,000+
San Jose $1,447,800
Median rent$3,247/mo
San Jose $2,840/mo
Cost-burdened households35%
San Jose 35%
Los Gatos
Santa Clara County32,786 residents5 school districts
66
C+
Suburbgrade score
11th of 16 San Jose suburbs. Strong on amenities and schools, held back by cost of living.
66
San Jose median 68
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Los Gatos yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 66 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Los Gatos is like to live in, by category
Bars show Los Gatos against San Jose. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 75/100
B
Within-state proficiency94th pct
San Jose median 87th pct
Student–teacher ratio22.5
San Jose median 21.4
Graduation rate96%
San Jose median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 57/100
C−
Housing cost index105
San Jose 100
Eff. tax rate0.68%
San Jose 0.68%
Local sales tax9.88%
San Jose median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 66/100
C+
Mean commute27.6 min
San Jose 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes58%
San Jose 62%
Transit stops / sq mi6.8
San Jose median 10 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 83/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés95
San Jose median 175 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
San Jose median 13 · within 2 miles
Parks48
San Jose median 113 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 62/100
C
Median household income$217,554
San Jose $162,111
Unemployment5.0%
San Jose 4.9%
Professional occupations70%
San Jose 58%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Los Gatos yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Los Gatos on cost of living
Los Gatos's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCost of livingOverall
Stanford18 mi from Los GatosA− 68 B− Los Altos12 mi from Los GatosB 77 B Cupertino8 mi from Los GatosB 75 B Saratoga5 mi from Los GatosB 71 B− Alum Rock12 mi from Los GatosB 52 D+ Santa Clara9 mi from Los GatosB 70 B− Cost-of-living index composed in-house from housing cost, utilities, effective property tax and local sales tax · Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Effective property tax: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Los Gatos
Is Los Gatos, CA a good place to live?
Los Gatos scores 66 out of 100, 11th of 16 San Jose suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on cost of living. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Los Gatos expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C−. The median home is $2,000,000+, 38% above the San Jose median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.68%. $3,247/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Los Gatos?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Los Gatos sit at the 94th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 96% graduation rate and a 22.5 student–teacher ratio. Los Gatos is served by Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High, Los Gatos Union Elementary, Campbell Union High, Union Elementary and Campbell Union. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Los Gatos?
The mean commute is 27.6 min, with 58% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 33% working from home. Transit density is 6.8 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Los Gatos?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 95 restaurants and cafés and 48 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Los Gatos old or new?
The median home in Los Gatos was built in 1972 — close to the San Jose median of 1976. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 71% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.