Cost of Living: Santa Monica, 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 Monica, CA versus $3,974/mo in San Jose, CA. In the model, rent is about 34.06% of gross in Santa Monica, CA versus 38.13% in San Jose, CA, so Santa Monica, CA tends to feel more affordable for rent.
Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Santa Monica, CA and San Jose, CA.
At a glance
- Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Santa Monica, CA
- Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Santa Monica, CA
- Lower home prices: San Jose, CA
- Higher median household income: San Jose, CA
Cost of Living Index
Santa Monica, CA: 100 (U.S. = 100) · San Jose, CA: 198.5 (U.S. = 100)
Santa Monica, CA has a lower cost-of-living index than San Jose, CA, so a given salary generally stretches further there.
Median Rent
Santa Monica, CA: $2,221/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · San Jose, CA: $2,486/mo
Median rent in San Jose, CA is $265/mo higher than in Santa Monica, CA.
Median Home Price
Santa Monica, CA: $1,810,200 · San Jose, CA: $1,187,800
Median home price in Santa Monica, CA is $622,400 higher than in San Jose, CA.
Median Household Income
Santa Monica, CA: $109,739 · San Jose, CA: $141,565
San Jose, CA has a higher median household income than Santa Monica, CA by $31,826.
Santa Monica, CA overview · San Jose, CA overview · Popular comparisons