cost
Cost of Living Index
San Jose67.3 / 100
Los Angeles72 / 0
Comparison
Side-by-side data for relocation, travel, hiring, and investment decisions. Values are shown with source-backed metric definitions so trade-offs are easy to compare.
Bars and radar use 0-100 better scores. Tooltips keep the raw source values visible.
Chart summary: San Jose leads Cost of Living Index with 100 out of 100; San Jose leads Safety Index with 100 out of 100; Los Angeles leads Median Monthly Rent with 100 out of 100; San Jose leads House Price to Income with 100 out of 100. A complete normalized score table follows.
| Metric | Place | Raw value | Normalized score | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index | San Jose | 67.3 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Cost of Living Index | Los Angeles | 72 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Safety Index | San Jose | 69.4 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Safety Index | Los Angeles | 46.8 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Median Monthly Rent | San Jose | $2,098 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Median Monthly Rent | Los Angeles | $1,964 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | San Jose | 13.1x | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | Los Angeles | 13.4x | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Average Salary | San Jose | $6,343/mo | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Average Salary | Los Angeles | $6,737/mo | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Unemployment Rate | San Jose | 9.4% | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Unemployment Rate | Los Angeles | 8.8% | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Healthcare Access Index | San Jose | 52.8 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Healthcare Access Index | Los Angeles | 72.7 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Life Expectancy | San Jose | 75.5 years | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Life Expectancy | Los Angeles | 79.9 years | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
cost
safety
housing
housing
jobs
jobs
health
health
Winner
San Jose wins on 14 of 22 metrics compared to Los Angeles.
Winner logic counts row wins after applying each metric direction. Exact ties do not count. Methodology
Top trade-offs
San Jose leads cost, safety, and housing; Los Angeles leads rent, salary, and jobs.
cost
San Jose
67.3
Los Angeles
72
safety
San Jose
69.4
Los Angeles
46.8
housing
San Jose
$2,098
Los Angeles
$1,964
housing
San Jose
13.1x
Los Angeles
13.4x
jobs
San Jose
$6,343/mo
Los Angeles
$6,737/mo
jobs
San Jose
9.4%
Los Angeles
8.8%
health
San Jose
52.8
Los Angeles
72.7
health
San Jose
75.5 years
Los Angeles
79.9 years
environment
environment
infrastructure
demographics
San Jose
1.3%
Los Angeles
0.7%
education
San Jose
72.8
Los Angeles
51.2
transport
San Jose
51.9
Los Angeles
49.2
safety
San Jose
15.2 per 100k
Los Angeles
19.2 per 100k
safety
San Jose
47.8 per 100k
Los Angeles
61.5 per 100k
health
San Jose
13.5%
Los Angeles
26.4%
quality
San Jose
7.1
Los Angeles
5.3
housing
San Jose
$12,396/sqm
Los Angeles
$7,581/sqm
religion
San Jose
34.5%
Los Angeles
15.0%
religion
San Jose
57.0%
Los Angeles
44.1%
religion
San Jose
33.2%
Los Angeles
43.1%
Some city-level values are modeled estimates when official city-level data is unavailable.
Each metric keeps its source, year, last refreshed date, and confidence label visible. Review methodology or Data Sources.