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San Jose
#7 of 124
North America

San Jose

CA, United States

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in San Jose compare to San Francisco?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in San Jose is 8% worse off vs in San Francisco

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in San Jose compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$229,000
-$43K (-16%) vs San Francisco
Based on 1340 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$144,957
-$28K (-16%) vs San Francisco
Tax Rate: 37%

Community Insights

New

San Jose represents the quintessential "high risk, high reward" trade-off for software engineers. While it offers the #4 highest net income globally and serves as the engine room of the tech world, it demands a high price in terms of living costs and cultural vibrancy. The city is functionally a collection of wealthy suburbs rather than a bustling metropolis. For engineers, the purchasing power (#7) is a massive draw, allowing for aggressive savings and a comfortable lifestyle, provided one makes peace with the car-centric sprawl and quieter social pace. It is a city where you come to build your fortune and enjoy the sun, but perhaps not to find the most thrilling urban adventure.

Resident Sentiment

The sentiment among transplants is often described as "Golden Handcuffs." Residents frequently express gratitude for the incredible weather and career opportunities that allow them to build wealth rapidly. However, a common theme in discussions is the need to travel to San Francisco or other areas for culture and excitement. Many single engineers vent frustration about the dating market, while families tend to be much happier with the stability and calmness. Overall, people stay for the utility of the city rather than its charm.

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to San Francisco.

Rankings

Net Income

Top 3%

#4

of 124 cities

$144,957/yr

Current value

Purchasing Power

Top 6%

#7

of 124 cities

Comfortable Weather

Top 16%

#20

of 124 cities

85/100 weather score

Current value

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in San Jose compared to San Francisco?

Avg. Property Price
$9,652 / m²
4% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in San Jose to maintain the same standard of living.

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Do you have kids?

Cost of Living
8% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in San Jose

OpenAI logo
OpenAI
Anthropic logo
Anthropic
Coupang logo
Coupang

The Good

  • Exceptional Career Growth: Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, offering unparalleled access to top-tier tech companies, startups, and networking events.
  • High Earning Potential: Ranks #4 for net income globally, allowing for significant savings and purchasing power despite the high cost of living.
  • Ideal Weather: Enjoy approximately 3,015 hours of sunshine per year with mild winters and warm summers, perfect for year-round outdoor activities.
  • World-Class Cuisine: Renowned for authentic and diverse food scenes, particularly Vietnamese (Little Saigon) and Mexican cuisine.
  • Access to Nature: Strategically located near Santa Cruz beaches, redwood forests for hiking, and wineries, offering great weekend escapes.
  • Suburban Comfort: Generally perceived as safer (#73 safety index) and quieter than San Francisco, offering a more relaxed, family-friendly environment.

The Bad

  • High Cost of Living: Ranks #120 out of 124 cities (where lower is cheaper), making rent and home ownership significantly expensive (5.8 years of net salary to buy).
  • Lack of Nightlife: Often nicknamed "San Bore-nay" or criticized for being sleepy after 9 PM compared to San Francisco or Oakland.
  • Challenging Dating Scene: Frequently referred to as "Man Jose" in online communities due to a perceived gender imbalance and a difficult dating market for heterosexual men.
  • Car Dependency: The city is characterized by urban sprawl, making a car essential for most errands and commuting due to limited walkability and public transit.
  • Traffic Congestion: Commuting can be frustrating with heavy traffic, especially for those traveling to offices in Mountain View or Palo Alto.
  • Homelessness and Blight: While safer than SF, downtown areas still struggle with visible homelessness and property crime concerns.

The Verdict

You'll love it if...

Career-driven engineers looking to maximize their savings rate and accelerate their path to financial independence (FIRE) will thrive here. It is also an excellent choice for families or couples who prioritize safety, space, and good weather over nightlife. Foodies who love Asian and Mexican cuisine will find it a paradise. Additionally, those who enjoy outdoor activities like hiking and surfing but want to stay close to the tech hub will appreciate the proximity to nature.

Skip it if...

Young singles seeking a vibrant, walkable urban experience with a bustling nightlife and spontaneous social scenes will likely find San Jose stifling and boring. Those who refuse to own a car or hate driving will struggle significantly with the sprawl. Similarly, anyone on a tight budget or working in lower-paying tech roles may find the #120 cost of living rank oppressive without the high salary to offset it.

Updated 11/29/2025

Weather8.5/10-2% vs San Francisco
Safety52+32%
Pollution49-1%
Events0-100%
8.5/10TechCities weather score vs 8.7/10 in San Francisco

0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

Weather snapshot

Average High
22°C(vs 19°C in San Francisco)
Average Low
11°C(same as San Francisco)
Sunshine Hours
3,015h/yr-47h/yr
Hottest Month High
28°C(vs 22°C in San Francisco)
Coldest Month Low
6°C(vs 8°C in San Francisco)
Rainy Days
47/yr(same as San Francisco)

Community & Quality

San Jose community pulse

San Jose has 0 Luma events listed.

100% fewer events than San Francisco.

Home Affordability

Top 30%

#37

of 124 cities

≈5.3 yrs to buy 80m²

Current value

Pollution Score

Middle of the pack

#66

of 124 cities

48.8/100

Current value (lower is better)

Safety Index

Middle of the pack

#73

of 124 cities

52/100

Current value

Tax Rate

Bottom 23%

#97

of 124 cities

37%

Current value (lower is better)

Community Events

Bottom 7%

#117

of 124 cities

0 events on luma

Current value

Cost of Living

Bottom 5%

#119

of 124 cities

82/100

Current value (lower is better)

SWE Affordability
5.3 years
0.7 years longer than San Francisco
Muggy Days
0/yr(same as San Francisco)
Cloud Cover
34%(same as San Francisco)