Los Angeles vs San Jose
The short version
- San Jose is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Los Angeles area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $921,200 in Los Angeles and $1,233,200 in San Jose.
- Households earn more in San Jose ($146,427 vs $81,939 median).
- Los Angeles has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 60°F.
- Commutes are shorter in San Jose (27 vs 31 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Los Angeles, CA | San Jose, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 3,869,089 | 989,814 |
| Growth since 2020 | -0.8% | -2.3% |
| People per square mile | 8,223 | 5,563 |
| Median age | 37.2 | 38.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 47% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $81,939 | $146,427 |
| Median home value | $921,200 | $1,233,200 |
| Home value to income | 11.2× | 8.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,933 | $2,669 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 113.6 | 110.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 170.4 | 211.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $85,200 | $82,800 |
| Homeowners | 36% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.7 | 27.3 |
| Work from home | 20% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 6% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.2% | 5.1% |
| Poverty rate | 16.5% | 8.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 68° / 49° | 60° / 42° |
| July high / low | 82° / 65° | 81° / 58° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 26 | 16 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 3 |
| Comfortable months | 12 | 10 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 100.0 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 11% | 92% |
| Home prices, past year | +1.2% | -1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +31.9% | +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: Los Angeles: January to December. San Jose: February to November.
Full monthly tables: Los Angeles 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 $85,200 in Los Angeles and $82,800 in San Jose. Moving from Los Angeles to San Jose, you would need about $72,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles and San Jose.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.