San Jose vs San Francisco
The short version
- San Jose is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the San Francisco area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $1,233,200 in San Jose and $1,394,500 in San Francisco.
- San Jose is growing faster: -2.3% since 2020 vs -6%.
- Commutes are shorter in San Jose (27 vs 30 minutes each way).
Side by side
| San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 989,814 | 826,079 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.3% | -6% |
| People per square mile | 5,563 | 17,695 |
| Median age | 38.2 | 40.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 60% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $146,427 | $140,970 |
| Median home value | $1,233,200 | $1,394,500 |
| Home value to income | 8.4× | 9.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,669 | $2,476 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 110.4 | 115.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 211.9 | 194.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $82,800 | $86,700 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 38% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.3 | 30.4 |
| Work from home | 20% | 31% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 19% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 6.1% |
| Poverty rate | 8.1% | 11.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 60° / 42° | 58° / 47° |
| July high / low | 81° / 58° | 66° / 54° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 23 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 3 |
| Nights below freezing | 3 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 9 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 99.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 92% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | -1% | -0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +27.4% | +17.5% |
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: San Jose: February to November. San Francisco: March to November.
Full monthly tables: San Jose weather by month and San Francisco 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 San Jose and $86,700 in San Francisco. Moving from San Jose to San Francisco, you would need about $78,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Jose and San Francisco
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from San Jose and San Francisco.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.