Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 40/100
D−
Median home value$1,233,200
San Jose $1,447,800
Median rent$2,669/mo
San Jose $2,840/mo
Cost-burdened households38%
San Jose 35%
San Jose
Santa Clara County990,138 residents7 school districts
60
C
Suburbgrade score
12th of 16 San Jose suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
60
San Jose median 68
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for San Jose yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 60 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 San Jose is like to live in, by category
Bars show San Jose against San Jose. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 58/100
C
Within-state proficiency69th pct
San Jose median 87th pct
Student–teacher ratio22.0
San Jose median 21.4
Graduation rate88%
San Jose median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index97
San Jose 100
Eff. tax rate0.73%
San Jose 0.68%
Local sales tax10.00%
San Jose median 9.75%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 62/100
C
Mean commute27.3 min
San Jose 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes60%
San Jose 62%
Transit stops / sq mi12
San Jose median 10 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 92/100
A
Restaurants & cafés191
San Jose median 175 · within 2 miles
Groceries21
San Jose median 13 · within 2 miles
Parks93
San Jose median 113 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median household income$146,427
San Jose $162,111
Unemployment5.1%
San Jose 4.9%
Professional occupations52%
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 San Jose 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 San Jose on housing & affordability
San Jose's weakest grade is D−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Saratoga12 mi from San JoseC+ 71 B− Los Altos16 mi from San JoseC+ 77 B Cupertino13 mi from San JoseC 75 B Los Gatos9 mi from San JoseC 66 C+ Palo Alto19 mi from San JoseC 74 B Sunnyvale13 mi from San JoseD+ 73 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in San Jose
Is San Jose, CA a good place to live?
San Jose scores 60 out of 100, 12th 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 San Jose expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $1,233,200, 15% below the San Jose median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.73%. $2,669/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in San Jose?
Schools grade C. The districts serving San Jose sit at the 69th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 22.0 student–teacher ratio. San Jose is served by East Side Union High, San Jose Unified, Morgan Hill Unified School District, Santa Clara Unified School District, Evergreen Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary and Campbell Union High School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from San Jose?
The mean commute is 27.3 min, with 60% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 20% working from home. Transit density is 12 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in San Jose?
Within two miles there are 21 groceries, 191 restaurants and cafés and 93 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in San Jose old or new?
The median home in San Jose was built in 1976 — 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. 62% 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.