San Jose vs Westminster
The short version
- San Jose is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Westminster area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $858,300 in Westminster and $1,233,200 in San Jose.
- Households earn more in San Jose ($146,427 vs $85,541 median).
- Westminster has the warmer winter: January highs of 69°F vs 60°F.
- Westminster has more scorching days: 39 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 16.
Side by side
| San Jose, CA | Westminster, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 989,814 | 88,966 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.3% | -2% |
| People per square mile | 5,563 | 8,862 |
| Median age | 38.2 | 43.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 26% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $146,427 | $85,541 |
| Median home value | $1,233,200 | $858,300 |
| Home value to income | 8.4× | 10.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,669 | $2,168 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 110.4 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 211.9 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $82,800 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.3 | 27.0 |
| Work from home | 20% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 7.2% |
| Poverty rate | 8.1% | 14.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 60° / 42° | 69° / 46° |
| July high / low | 81° / 58° | 84° / 66° |
| Precipitation per year | 14 in | 12 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 39 |
| Nights below freezing | 3 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 11 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 99.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 92% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | -1% | +3.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +27.4% | +45.5% |
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. Westminster: September to July.
Full monthly tables: San Jose weather by month and Westminster 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 $85,200 in Westminster. Moving from San Jose to Westminster, you would need about $77,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between San Jose and Westminster
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 Westminster.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.