Comprehensive salary data, cost of living, and employment information for San Jose, California. Population: 1,013,240.
Reviewed by Alexander O.M., MBA, BSc Engineering•Updated
San Jose's $131,420 median household income is among the highest in the United States, a direct reflection of the Silicon Valley technology cluster anchored in and around the city. Apple (Cupertino), Google (Mountain View), Meta (Menlo Park), Nvidia, Adobe, Intel, Cisco, and hundreds of smaller tech companies operate in the metro, and the wage premium for software engineering, product management, and technical product roles in the region is among the highest in the world. The cost-of-living index of 210 is driven almost entirely by housing — median single-family home prices in San Jose (city proper) exceed $1.3 million, and median one-bedroom rent runs above $2,800 in most desirable neighbourhoods. The housing sub-index alone exceeds 340 in most measurements. The tech cluster's high salaries compensate for a portion of the cost burden, but the squeeze on non-tech workers (teachers, service workers, healthcare staff) is severe and has produced sustained out-migration of non-tech households over the past decade. California's state income tax (1% to 13.3%) compounds the wage dynamic for high earners. Detailed breakdown below.
Median Individual
$58,100
per year
Median Household
$131,420
per year
Cost of Living
210
Extremely Expensive (US avg = 100)
Population
1.0M
Salary Breakdown for San Jose
The median individual income in San Jose is $58,100 per year, which works out to approximately $4,842/month or $27.93/hour for full-time workers. The median household income is $131,420.
Cost of Living Adjusted Salary
San Jose's cost of living index is 210 (national average = 100). The median salary of $58,100 in San Jose has the purchasing power of approximately $27,667 at the national average cost of living. The high cost of living in San Jose means you need a significantly higher salary to maintain the same standard of living as cheaper cities.