Can you afford to live in San Jose?

Median household income, home values and rent in San Jose, CA — how they've changed since 2015 and how much of a typical paycheck housing takes compared with the rest of the country.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

This story was assembled using AI and public data sources.

What it costs to live in San Jose.

Median household income: $111,976 — +59.2% since 2015 (not adjusted for inflation)

Median gross rent: $2,412/mo — +48.6% since 2015

Median home value, 2015 to 2023

• 2015: 417200
• 2023: 880000

Median household income

• San Jose: 111976
• Santa Clara County: 159674
• CA: 96334
• U.S.: 78538

Median gross rent

• San Jose: 2412
• Santa Clara County: 2814
• CA: 1956
• U.S.: 1348

Share of income a typical renter spends on rent: 36.2% — U.S.: 30.2%

What it means

The typical household here earns $111,976 — far higher than the national figure of $78,538.

The typical renter here spends 36.2% of household income on rent, above the 30% level housing agencies use to define cost burden.

Since 2015, income has kept pace with rent here (+59.2% versus +48.6%), before adjusting for inflation.