Cost of Living: Bowie, MD vs San Jose, CA

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,224/mo in Bowie, MD versus $3,974/mo in San Jose, CA. In the model, rent is about 32.64% of gross in Bowie, MD versus 38.13% in San Jose, CA, so Bowie, MD tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Bowie, MD
$4,224/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in San Jose, CA
$3,974/mo
Income level: below
Rent share (1BR) in Bowie, MD
32.64%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in San Jose, CA
38.13%
COLI tier: very high-cost

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Bowie, MD and San Jose, CA.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Bowie, MD
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Bowie, MD
  • Lower home prices: Bowie, MD
  • Higher median household income: Bowie, MD

Cost of Living Index

Bowie, MD: 100 (U.S. = 100) · San Jose, CA: 198.5 (U.S. = 100)

Bowie, MD has a lower cost-of-living index than San Jose, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Bowie, MD: $2,128/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Jose, CA: $2,486/mo

Median rent in San Jose, CA is $358/mo higher than in Bowie, MD.

Median Home Price

Bowie, MD: $442,000 · San Jose, CA: $1,187,800

Median home price in San Jose, CA is $745,800 higher than in Bowie, MD.

Median Household Income

Bowie, MD: $141,831 · San Jose, CA: $141,565

Bowie, MD has a higher median household income than San Jose, CA by $266.

Bowie, MD overview · San Jose, CA overview · Popular comparisons