Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 47/100
D
Median home value$1,582,600
San Jose $1,447,800
Median rent$3,016/mo
San Jose $2,840/mo
Cost-burdened households30%
San Jose 35%
Santa Clara
Santa Clara County130,256 residentsSanta Clara Unified
70
B−
Suburbgrade score
7th of 16 San Jose suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by housing & affordability.
70
San Jose median 68
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Santa Clara yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 70 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 Santa Clara is like to live in, by category
Bars show Santa Clara against San Jose. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 69/100
B−
Within-state proficiency83rd pct
San Jose median 87th pct
Student–teacher ratio19.3
San Jose median 21.4
Graduation rate87%
San Jose median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 73/100
B
Housing cost index104
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 · 82/100
B+
Mean commute22.6 min
San Jose 26.6 min
Under 30 minutes73%
San Jose 62%
Transit stops / sq mi15
San Jose median 10 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 95/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés251
San Jose median 175 · within 2 miles
Groceries17
San Jose median 13 · within 2 miles
Parks121
San Jose median 113 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 65/100
C+
Median household income$178,958
San Jose $162,111
Unemployment5.1%
San Jose 4.9%
Professional occupations69%
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 Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara on housing & affordability
Santa Clara's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Saratoga7 mi from Santa ClaraC+ 71 B− Los Altos7 mi from Santa ClaraC+ 77 B Cupertino5 mi from Santa ClaraC 75 B Los Gatos9 mi from Santa ClaraC 66 C+ Palo Alto10 mi from Santa ClaraC 74 B Sunnyvale4 mi from Santa ClaraD+ 73 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Santa Clara
Is Santa Clara, CA a good place to live?
Santa Clara scores 70 out of 100, 7th 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 Santa Clara expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $1,582,600, 9% above the San Jose median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.63%. $3,016/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Santa Clara?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Santa Clara sit at the 83rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 87% graduation rate and a 19.3 student–teacher ratio. Santa Clara is served by Santa Clara Unified. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Santa Clara?
The mean commute is 22.6 min, with 73% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 26% working from home. Transit density is 15 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Santa Clara?
Within two miles there are 17 groceries, 251 restaurants and cafés and 121 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Santa Clara old or new?
The median home in Santa Clara was built in 1974 — 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. 48% 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.