Mountain View vs San Jose
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $1,233,200 in San Jose and $1,927,000 in Mountain View.
- Households earn more in Mountain View ($189,917 vs $146,427 median).
- Mountain View is growing faster: +3.5% since 2020 vs -2.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Mountain View (23 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Mountain View, CA | San Jose, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 85,438 | 989,814 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.5% | -2.3% |
| People per square mile | 7,145 | 5,563 |
| Median age | 35.5 | 38.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 75% | 47% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $189,917 | $146,427 |
| Median home value | $1,927,000 | $1,233,200 |
| Home value to income | 10.1× | 8.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $3,062 | $2,669 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 110.4 | 110.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 211.9 | 211.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $82,800 | $82,800 |
| Homeowners | 39% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.3 | 27.3 |
| Work from home | 31% | 20% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.7% | 5.1% |
| Poverty rate | 6% | 8.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 42° | 60° / 42° |
| July high / low | 77° / 59° | 81° / 58° |
| Precipitation per year | 13 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 9 | 16 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 3 |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 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 | 92% | 92% |
| Home prices, past year | -1% | -1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +27.4% | +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: Mountain View: March to November. San Jose: February to November.
Full monthly tables: Mountain View 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 $82,800 in Mountain View and $82,800 in San Jose. Moving from Mountain View to San Jose, you would need about $75,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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