How much do households in the San Jose, CA area spend on rent?
Refreshed annually
About $2,840, or 28% of their income, in 2020–2024. This is measured by comparing median, or average, rent and median monthly income for renting households.
$2.84K
median monthly rent in San Jose, CA area (2020–2024)
28%
average share of income spent on rent in San Jose, CA area (2020–2024)
Comparing rent to renter income provides one measure of rental affordability. The San Jose, CA area’s median rent was about $2,840 per month in 2020–2024. Typical monthly income among renting households was about $10,148 per month during that same period.
A typical household spent about $2,840 on rent in the San Jose, CA area.
Median gross rent and median renter household income, 2020–2024
Dividing rent by income provides what is called a rent-to-income ratio. A higher ratio of rent-to-income indicates rent is less affordable while a lower ratio indicates greater affordability.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households with a rent-to-income ratio of more than 30%, that is, households that spend more than 30% their income on housing, to be cost-burdened. Cost-burdened households may have less money for other necessities such as food, healthcare, or savings. When median monthly rent is more than 30% of median monthly income, it means a typical household would meet the definition of housing cost-burdened.
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Do households in the San Jose, CA area spend more or less on rent than other California metros?
The San Jose, CA area’s rent-to-income ratio ranked 25 out of 25 California metros.
Ratio of median gross rent to median renter household income, 2020–2024
Compared to other metro areas in the state, the San Jose, CA area had the highest median rent and highest median renter-household income. (Metro areas are made up of economically interconnected counties that include at least one urban area. A single metro area can include multiple cities and cross state lines.) Out of the 25 metros in the state, the San Jose, CA area’s rent-to-income ratio ranked lowest.
Do households in the San Jose, CA area spend more or less on rent than other large metros?
The large metro median rent-to-income ratio was 31.9%.
Ratio of median gross rent to median renter household income, 2020–2024
The San Jose, CA area is a large metro, which have over 1 million people. Compared to other large metros, the San Jose, CA area’s rent-to income ratio is lower than is typical. The average among large metros was 31.9% in 2020–2024, 4 percentage points higher than in the San Jose, CA area.
Renter income and rent, large metro areas (2020–2024)
| 1. | $10,148 | |
| 2. | $7,944 | |
| 3. | $6,827 | |
| 4. | $6,551 | |
| 5. | $6,501 | |
| 6. | $5,887 | |
| 7. | $5,874 | |
| 8. | $5,869 | |
| 9. | $5,709 | |
| 10. | $5,470 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
