Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
California
San Jose is the Silicon Valley launch market, where high wages and very high housing costs make salary fit and household cash flow the core comparison points.
California
Irvine is a supplemental starter city profile for the premium Orange County family and jobs market in California, useful for route coverage and starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Comparison
San Jose has the lower salary-needed estimate, while San Jose has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Irvine minus San Jose.
| Metric | San Jose | Irvine | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,136 | $3,300 | +$164 | San Jose | San Jose has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $1,018,400 | $1,566,872 | +$548,472 | San Jose | San Jose has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $390/mo | $358/mo | -$32/mo | Irvine | Irvine has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 123 | 120 | -3 | Irvine | Irvine has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $133,160 | $135,188 | +$2,028 | San Jose | San Jose has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 56/100 | 55/100 | -1 | San Jose | San Jose has the higher move score. |