San Jose vs Sparks
The short version
- Sparks is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 9% lower than in the San Jose area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $483,800 in Sparks and $1,233,200 in San Jose.
- Households earn more in San Jose ($146,427 vs $89,056 median).
- San Jose has the warmer winter: January highs of 60°F vs 48°F.
- Sparks gets far more snow: 21 inches a year vs 0.
- Sparks has more scorching days: 65 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 16.
- Sparks is growing faster: +3.2% since 2020 vs -2.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Sparks (24 vs 27 minutes each way).
- Nevada has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| San Jose, CA | Sparks, NV | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 989,814 | 111,902 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.3% | +3.2% |
| People per square mile | 5,563 | 3,066 |
| Median age | 38.2 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 28% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $146,427 | $89,056 |
| Median home value | $1,233,200 | $483,800 |
| Home value to income | 8.4× | 5.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,669 | $1,716 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 110.4 | 101.0 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 211.9 | 123.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $82,800 | $75,800 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 60% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 8.24% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.3 | 24.0 |
| Work from home | 20% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 8.1% | 8.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 60° / 42° | 48° / 26° |
| July high / low | 81° / 58° | 94° / 60° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 7 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 21 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 65 |
| Nights below freezing | 3 | 122 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 96.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 92% | 50% |
| Home prices, past year | -1% | +3.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +27.4% | +30.3% |
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. Sparks: May to June and September.
Full monthly tables: San Jose weather by month and Sparks 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 $75,800 in Sparks. Moving from San Jose to Sparks, you would need about $68,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Jose and Sparks
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 Sparks.
Which would you pick?
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