cost
Cost of Living Index
San Jose67.3 / 0
New York metropolitan area61.6 / 100
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: New York metropolitan area leads Cost of Living Index with 100 out of 100; New York metropolitan area leads Safety Index with 100 out of 100; San Jose leads Median Monthly Rent with 100 out of 100; New York metropolitan area 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 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Cost of Living Index | New York metropolitan area | 61.6 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Safety Index | San Jose | 69.4 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Safety Index | New York metropolitan area | 69.7 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Median Monthly Rent | San Jose | $2,098 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Median Monthly Rent | New York metropolitan area | $2,660 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | San Jose | 13.1x | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | New York metropolitan area | 13.0x | 100 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 | New York metropolitan area | $6,964/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 | New York metropolitan area | 4.0% | 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 | New York metropolitan area | 71.8 | 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 | New York metropolitan area | 81.2 years | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
cost
safety
housing
housing
jobs
jobs
health
health
Winner
New York metropolitan area wins on 12 of 22 metrics compared to San Jose.
Winner logic counts row wins after applying each metric direction. Exact ties do not count. Methodology
Top trade-offs
San Jose leads rent, air quality, and environment; New York metropolitan area leads cost, safety, and housing.
cost
San Jose
67.3
New York metropolitan area
61.6
safety
San Jose
69.4
New York metropolitan area
69.7
housing
San Jose
$2,098
New York metropolitan area
$2,660
housing
San Jose
13.1x
New York metropolitan area
13.0x
jobs
San Jose
$6,343/mo
New York metropolitan area
$6,964/mo
jobs
San Jose
9.4%
New York metropolitan area
4.0%
health
San Jose
52.8
New York metropolitan area
71.8
health
San Jose
75.5 years
New York metropolitan area
81.2 years
environment
environment
infrastructure
demographics
San Jose
1.3%
New York metropolitan area
2.7%
education
San Jose
72.8
New York metropolitan area
50.2
transport
San Jose
51.9
New York metropolitan area
48
safety
San Jose
15.2 per 100k
New York metropolitan area
11.9 per 100k
safety
San Jose
47.8 per 100k
New York metropolitan area
32.0 per 100k
health
San Jose
13.5%
New York metropolitan area
20.2%
quality
San Jose
7.1
New York metropolitan area
5.6
housing
San Jose
$12,396/sqm
New York metropolitan area
$14,843/sqm
religion
San Jose
34.5%
New York metropolitan area
51.6%
religion
San Jose
57.0%
New York metropolitan area
42.3%
religion
San Jose
33.2%
New York metropolitan area
24.9%
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.