Kent vs San Jose
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $587,800 in Kent and $1,233,200 in San Jose.
- Households earn more in San Jose ($146,427 vs $92,302 median).
- San Jose has the warmer winter: January highs of 60°F vs 48°F.
- Commutes are shorter in San Jose (27 vs 30 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Kent, WA | San Jose, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 134,871 | 989,814 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.4% | -2.3% |
| People per square mile | 3,986 | 5,563 |
| Median age | 35.5 | 38.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30% | 47% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $92,302 | $146,427 |
| Median home value | $587,800 | $1,233,200 |
| Home value to income | 6.4× | 8.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,909 | $2,669 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.1 | 110.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.3 | 211.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,300 | $82,800 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | None | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.4 | 27.3 |
| Work from home | 14% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7% | 5.1% |
| Poverty rate | 10.8% | 8.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 38° | 60° / 42° |
| July high / low | 77° / 57° | 81° / 58° |
| Precipitation per year | 39 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 6 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 4 | 16 |
| Nights below freezing | 25 | 3 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 10 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 92% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | -1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.6% | +27.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Kent: May to September. San Jose: February to November.
Full monthly tables: Kent weather by month and San Jose weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,300 in Kent and $82,800 in San Jose. Moving from Kent to San Jose, you would need about $74,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Kent and San Jose
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Kent and San Jose.
Which would you pick?
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