Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 50/100
D+
Median home value$1,927,000
San Jose $1,447,800
Median rent$3,062/mo
San Jose $2,840/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
San Jose 35%
Mountain View
Santa Clara County83,732 residents3 school districts
74
B
Suburbgrade score
3rd of 16 San Jose suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
74
San Jose median 68
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Mountain View yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 74 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 Mountain View is like to live in, by category
Bars show Mountain View against San Jose. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 77/100
B
Within-state proficiency90th pct
San Jose median 87th pct
Student–teacher ratio19.0
San Jose median 21.4
Graduation rate92%
San Jose median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Housing cost index105
San Jose 100
Eff. tax rate0.63%
San Jose 0.68%
Local sales tax9.75%
San Jose median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 84/100
A−
Mean commute23.3 min
San Jose 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes73%
San Jose 62%
Transit stops / sq mi16
San Jose median 10 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 99/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés265
San Jose median 175 · within 2 miles
Groceries21
San Jose median 13 · within 2 miles
Parks175
San Jose median 113 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Median household income$189,917
San Jose $162,111
Unemployment3.7%
San Jose 4.9%
Professional occupations76%
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 Mountain View 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 Mountain View on housing & affordability
Mountain View's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Saratoga10 mi from Mountain ViewC+ 71 B− Los Altos2 mi from Mountain ViewC+ 77 B Cupertino6 mi from Mountain ViewC 75 B Los Gatos14 mi from Mountain ViewC 66 C+ Palo Alto4 mi from Mountain ViewC 74 B Sunnyvale3 mi from Mountain ViewD+ 73 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Mountain View
Is Mountain View, CA a good place to live?
Mountain View scores 74 out of 100, 3rd of 16 San Jose suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Mountain View expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $1,927,000, 33% above the San Jose median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.63%. $3,062/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Mountain View?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Mountain View sit at the 90th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 92% graduation rate and a 19.0 student–teacher ratio. Mountain View is served by Mountain View-Los Altos Union High, Mountain View Whisman and Los Altos Elementary. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Mountain View?
The mean commute is 23.3 min, with 73% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 31% working from home. Transit density is 16 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Mountain View?
Within two miles there are 21 groceries, 265 restaurants and cafés and 175 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Mountain View old or new?
The median home in Mountain View was built in 1975 — 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. 41% 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.
Six San Jose lists
Best San Jose suburbs for familiesMost affordable San Jose suburbsBest San Jose suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown San JoseMost walkable San Jose suburbsBest San Jose suburbs for young professionals