Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Clara, CA and San Jose, CA

For one person, living costs are similar in Santa Clara, CA and in San Jose, CA: $4,189 and $4,378 a month, rent and utilities included.

203

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clara, CA
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Santa Clara, CA Living Index
211

Cost of Living Index in San Jose, CA
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San Jose, CA Living Index

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Santa Clara, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,189

/mo nomad

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Clara, CA and in San Jose, CA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Clara, CA and in San Jose, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,189 in Santa Clara, CA versus $4,378 in San Jose, CA.

Santa Clara, CA $4,189
San Jose, CA $4,378

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,899 in Santa Clara, CA versus $6,147 in San Jose, CA.

Santa Clara, CA $5,899
San Jose, CA $6,147

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,608 in Santa Clara, CA versus $7,916 in San Jose, CA.

Santa Clara, CA $7,608
San Jose, CA $7,916

Living in Santa Clara, CA costs roughly 4% less than in San Jose, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Clara, CA 210% above, San Jose, CA 224% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.66 $24.66

$22.37 $22.37

10.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$111 $111

$99.9 $99.9

11.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 $11.90

$11.95 $11.95

-0.42%

Cappuccino

$5.75 $5.75

$5.95 $5.95

-3.36%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.22 $3.22

-5.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.34 $2.34

2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$9.08 $9.08

-14.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$9.83 $9.83

-17.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.66 $1.66

-23.49%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.55 $4.55

-7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$4.01 $4.01

17.71%

Eggs

$5.46 $5.46

$5.89 $5.89

-7.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.69 $24.69

$19.91 $19.91

24.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 $11.90

$14.27 $14.27

-16.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.97 $12.97

$22.06 $22.06

-41.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$5.15 $5.15

7.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.92 $1.92

22.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$5.63 $5.63

-13.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 $5.78

$5.58 $5.58

3.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$3.64 $3.64

-9.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.88 $2.88

6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.46 $2.46

24.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.48 $2.48

10.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.65 $7.65

$11.73 $11.73

-34.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.09 $13.09

$15.70 $15.70

-16.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.44 $2.44

-30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.38 $3.38

-24.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.45 $2.45

19.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 $89.3

-0.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.52 $3.52

-7.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.97 $2.97

-16.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.36 $39.36

$30.48 $30.48

29.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.51 $1.51

-0.66%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.5K $37.5K

$36.3K $36.3K

3.30%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.1K $26.1K

$25.5K $25.5K

2.64%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$191 $191

$273 $273

-29.88%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$39.17 $39.17

$47.11 $47.11

-16.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 $62.9

$84.3 $84.3

-25.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.3 $98.3

$142 $142

-30.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.14 $14.14

$24.45 $24.45

-42.17%

Cinema Ticket

$16.13 $16.13

$16.89 $16.89

-4.50%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,829 $1,829

47.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.4K $37.4K

$39.2K $39.2K

-4.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$59.3 $59.3

-14.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 $40.79

$50.4 $50.4

-19.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 $76.5

$98.7 $98.7

-22.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 $59.8

$122 $122

-50.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,946 $2,946

$3,133 $3,133

-5.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 $2,708

$2,665 $2,665

1.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,427 $4,427

$4,768 $4,768

-7.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,153 $4,153

$4,128 $4,128

0.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,978 $8,978

$9,009 $9,009

-0.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,900 $8,900

$9,111 $9,111

-2.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,229 $8,229

$6,253 $6,253

31.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

6.67

1.50%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Clara, CA: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose, CA: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Santa Clara, CA

$2.7K 64.6%

San Jose, CA

$2.7K 60.9% 1.6% $44

Groceries & Markets

Santa Clara, CA

$459 11%

San Jose, CA

$493 11.3% 7.5% $34

Eating Out

Santa Clara, CA

$379 9%

San Jose, CA

$374 8.5% 1.4% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Clara, CA

$294 7%

San Jose, CA

$404 9.2% 37.8% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Clara, CA

$131 3.1%

San Jose, CA

$176 4% 34.7% $45

Getting Around

Santa Clara, CA

$117 2.8%

San Jose, CA

$117 2.7% 0.8% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Clara, CA

$103 2.5%

San Jose, CA

$148 3.4% 44.8% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,946 in Santa Clara, CA and $3,133 in San Jose, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Clara, CA pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $111 in Santa Clara, CA vs $100 in San Jose, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $459 vs $493, with Santa Clara, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Clara, CA

🇺🇸 San Jose, CA

🕒 Local time

02:57 2:57 AM

Same time as Santa Clara, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,365

1,035,317

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Santa Clara, CA
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santa Clara, CA vs San Jose, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Clara, CA wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in San Jose, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Clara, CA the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Santa Clara, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,946 in Santa Clara, CA versus $3,133 in San Jose, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Clara, CA runs roughly 0% less than in San Jose, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,693 in Santa Clara, CA versus $1,829 in San Jose, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $4,000. Santa Clara, CA is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Clara, CA delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $4,189 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Clara, CA hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Santa Clara, CA and San Jose, CA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santa Clara, CA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in San Jose, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.