Cost of Living: Santa Cruz, CA vs San Jose, CA
Quick rent-and-take-home comparison
Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $3,974/mo in Santa Cruz, CA versus $3,974/mo in San Jose, CA. In the model, rent is about 33.55% of gross in Santa Cruz, CA versus 38.13% in San Jose, CA, so Santa Cruz, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.
Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Santa Cruz, CA and San Jose, CA.
At a glance
- Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Santa Cruz, CA
- Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Santa Cruz, CA
- Lower home prices: Santa Cruz, CA
- Higher median household income: San Jose, CA
Cost of Living Index
Santa Cruz, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · San Jose, CA: 198.5 (U.S. = 100)
Santa Cruz, CA has a lower cost-of-living index than San Jose, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.
Median Rent
Santa Cruz, CA: $2,187/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Jose, CA: $2,486/mo
Median rent in San Jose, CA is $299/mo higher than in Santa Cruz, CA.
Median Home Price
Santa Cruz, CA: $1,180,100 · San Jose, CA: $1,187,800
Median home price in San Jose, CA is $7,700 higher than in Santa Cruz, CA.
Median Household Income
Santa Cruz, CA: $111,427 · San Jose, CA: $141,565
San Jose, CA has a higher median household income than Santa Cruz, CA by $30,138.
Santa Cruz, CA overview · San Jose, CA overview · Popular comparisons