San Jose, California at a Glance
Tucked into the high-tech lowlands between the Diablo and Santa Cruz Mountains and the San Francisco Bay, San Jose has alternately served as California’s fruit basket, its goldmine and its center of industry over the past two hundred years. The city may have only briefly served as the capital of California, but its tenure as the Capital of Silicon Valley has remained steadfast. Companies like Adobe, eBay and Cisco make their headquarters here, while diverse businesses from Lockheed Martin and Netflix to Apple bolster the job market across the Bay Area. Educational and research institutions in the region — like Stanford, Berkeley, and San Jose State University — keep a ready supply of workers for these fast-moving markets.
San Jose now has a population of 969,655, making it the third-largest city in the state and the 13th largest in the U.S. But like many of the most expensive zip codes in California, San Jose’s population has contracted noticeably since the pandemic. The extraordinarily high cost of living here, coupled with the shift to remote work, helped fuel the exodus.
But in a culturally rich and highly diverse city like San Jose, there are plenty of rewards for sticking around. There are historic treasures, like the Luis Maria Peralta Adobe. There are the incredible collections of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and the edgy exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose. From Japantown to Little Portugal, there are annual festivals that celebrate international traditions. And there are incredible restaurants, from long-standing, no-frills mom-and-pops to innovative Michelin-starred establishments.
With a mild climate and 300 sunny days a year, it’s almost always a good time to get outdoors in San Jose. Hike the trails at Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Scale the sandstone bluffs at Castle Rock. Take the kids on the carousel in Happy Hollow or stop and smell the roses at one of the many gardens around the city.
If you’re thinking of moving to this metro in the South Bay, consider the pros and cons of living in San Jose before you pack your bags. Learn more about the city below, including the job market, cost of living, cultural amenities, traffic and weather.
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Pros: Why You’ll Love San Jose
Great Weather
Before we delve into the details of what makes this city a great place to live, let’s first take the 50,000-foot view: San Jose’s climate. Surrounded by the Diablo and Santa Cruz mountain ranges, San Jose occupies a cool, protected valley south of San Francisco Bay, where the weather is warm and dry in the summer and chilly and damp in the winter months.
While it’s not unheard of for highs to climb into the 100s or lows to dip into the 20s, San Jose’s temperatures usually range from 31 to 100°F, with an average temperature in the low 50s during the winter, low 70s in the summer and annual mean of 62 °F.
The city only receives an average of 11 inches of rain annually — mostly from November to February — leaving around 300 sunny days a year to enjoy during the other eight months. But climate change is becoming an ever-increasing threat in this semi-arid environment. San Jose residents must now watch out for calamitous events of both wet and dry varieties, from bomb cyclones, atmospheric rivers and flooding to wildfires, extreme heat and drought.
A City of Job Opportunities
As the Capital of Silicon Valley, it’s no secret that San Jose’s job market is dominated by technology. Across Santa Clara County, you’ll find global household tech names, from the headquarters of eBay, Adobe and Cisco in San Jose to the likes of Apple, Alphabet, Intel and HP in surrounding cities. The presence of NASA and Lockheed Martin also makes San Jose a hub for aerospace.
While San Jose’s job market is expansive and diverse, one-third of the city’s nonfarm labor force is employed in the professional and business services sector (247,100), the Information sector (89,400) or the financial activities industry (37,800). The San Jose metro is also a powerhouse in Education and Health Services, which grew 9.6% over the past year and now supplies 205,300 in the city. And the manufacturing sector in San Jose holds its weight in the region, employing 173,800 people, even after a 5.4% drop over the previous year.
Speaking of losses, Information suffered some steep declines between 2023 and 2024, but the overall unemployment rate remained fairly stable, sitting at 4.1% in Santa Clara County in September of 2024 and 4.3% within the city of San Jose.
Strong Education
With some of the nation’s best institutions of higher learning, San Jose isn’t just Silicon Valley’s beating heart; it’s also a hotbed for research and education. Within the Bay Area, you’ll find Stanford University in Palo Alto, the University of California-Berkeley, Santa Clara University and San Jose State University. SJSU was the first university founded in California — even before the outbreak of the Civil War — and this one-time teachers’ college is now the #3 public university in the West.
A Cultural Melting Pot
San Jose is a racially and ethnically diverse city with prominent Asian American and Hispanic/Latinx communities. More than 41% of the city’s population is foreign-born, and there are plenty of cultural enclaves throughout the city to explore. Annual events like the Obon Festival in Japantown, the San Jose Italian Festival in Little Italy, and the San Jose Greek Festival draw large crowds every year, and you can find authentic international cuisine from virtually any area of the globe here.
Culinary Adventure
There’s no better place in San Jose to get a taste of authentic pho than Little Saigon, but we’d also recommend getting your afternoon pick-me-up here, like a coconut pennywort juice from Nuoc Mia Vien Dong 2.
If you’re visiting the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, stop into our favorite Hawaiian joint — Hukilau — for some spam musubi, clam ramen or a Hawaiian burrito with kalua pork. Headed into the city from the airport? You’ll find the best Korean food at a little spot called Danbi’s. Their galbi tang hits the spot on San Jose’s blustery days and the same bulgogi — a spicy squid and pork dish – gets your attention during a blah work week.
Little Portugal will tempt you with cuisine high and low, from the Michelin-starred Adega to cheeky cocktails and ceviche at Marisco’s. But our favorite spot for Portuguese food in San Jose is downtown at Petisco’s, Adega’s casual counterpart in the city. Its roasted octopus, codfish and tempura green beans are all crowd-pleasers, but if you want to get into headier flavors, order the pig’s ear salad or the beef tongue. Their flan is excellent, but that orange tart, prepared in flirty, jellyroll form, is a truly special event.
San Jose also excels in culinary Americana. One visit to Henry’s Hi-Life — one of the nation’s last remaining casual steak joints — will be enough to win you over on this traditional fare. There might not be any surprises on the menu, but that’s the joy — you know how delicious that simple baked potato with chive butter will taste with ribeye.
When your crew just can’t seem to settle on one great restaurant in the city, there’s only one place to go: the San Pedro Square Market. This downtown culinary hub puts everything from lobster rolls to spicy dosa within reach. A gelateria and a Mochinut shop all but guarantee a good mood.
Abundance of Parks and Recreation
Activities for Kids and Families
With oodles of cultural attractions, great weather and even better topography, San Jose is destined to be your favorite stomping ground for all things inspiring, enlightening and fun. You’ll find destinations that are kid-centric, grandparent-friendly, and some that are perfect for solo vacation days. Here are a few of our favorite spots.
Downtown San Jose is awash in terrific museums where you can immerse yourself in history, art and science. There are world-class collections at the San Jose Museum of Art and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, and exciting exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose.
Kids will go nuts for Tech Interactive, where they can engineer their very own virtual creature in the BioDesign Studio. Hoping no one makes a Jurassic Park meets Terminator mash-up there. Back in the real world, the permanent exhibition of Body Worlds here shows you what humans are really like on the inside. This exhibit is strictly for the 10+ crowd, but anyone who has a strong aversion to, say, meat counters or how the prosciutto is made will likely have a visceral reaction to the, um, viscera on display here.
Travel east of Downtown to Kelley Park and you’ll find a gorgeous greenspace with several must-see destinations, including History San Jose. Stroll around Kelley Park’s Japanese Friendship Garden or picnic beneath the towering canopy of the Redwood Grove. When the kids are feeling restless, a trip to the Happy Hollow Park & Zoo will positively redirect their energy. It’s hard to be grumpy when you’re riding the park’s trolley, Danny the Dragon, or kicking butt-butt in putt-putt. There’s even an old-timey puppet theater that no social reel can hold a digital candle to.
West of downtown, you’ll find one of the region’s most unusual domiciles —the Winchester Mystery House. Reportedly very haunted, this enormous residence boasts more than 10,000 windows, six kitchens and 13 bathrooms — clearly, one of them is unlucky, but which?? Best to ask the ghost of Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester, the former mistress of the mansion and heir to the Winchester rifle fortune.
Outdoor and Nature
Outside the urban center of San Jose, a world of natural wonders awaits. East of the city, Joseph D. Grant County Park is the region’s largest, and it’s a perfect place for a quick family camping trip or a mid-week hike. Be sure to take the tour of the Grant Ranch House Complex to see where the park’s namesake once resided. Almaden Quicksilver County Park lies just south of the city, and this former mining area is a popular spot in the spring when you can expect a spring wildflower bonanza. The onsite museum provides an engaging look at San Jose’s gold rush years. You’ll still see plenty of remnants of civilization from these parts — like electrical towers in the distance — so you’ll need to go a little further afield if you’re hoping to completely unplug.
A good near-town escape is Castle Rock State Park. Just 25 miles from San Jose, you can reach one of the highest ridges in the Santa Cruz Mountains from these trails. Rock climbers are big fans of this wilderness area, as the tafoni-patterned sandstone makes for cool and beautiful hand and footholds.
If you have your eye on the coast, the beaches of Santa Cruz are just an hour away, and the daunting cliffs of Big Sur aren’t much farther. Other fun escape plans might include a ski retreat in Lake Tahoe, an adventure in Yosemite National Park or a trip up to California wine country with a pitstop in the Muir Woods. Pick us up a big red, would you?
Cons: What to Consider About San Jose
High Cost of Living
The cost of housing in the Bay Area is, well, not normal. If you’re moving to San Jose from a non-coastal city anywhere else in the country, be prepared for truly eye-popping home prices. The median home value in this South Bay city now easily tops seven figures, so you can expect to pay upwards of $1.1 million for a home and more than $2,500/month in rent. For comparison, the average American home was valued at just $281,900 between 2018 and 2022. San Francisco’s rates are still higher than San Jose’s, but the two cities handily top the prices in Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento. But then there’s Newport Beach. With a median home value north of $2 million, you can always count on the OC to reset your idea of regular life.
In addition to spendy housing trends, California also has high gas prices. The average cost of fuel per gallon in San Jose in October 2024 topped $4.60/gallon, and it will generally cost you $1.50/gallon more to fill your tank in the Golden State than elsewhere in the nation.
You can also expect a higher percentage of your take-home pay to go towards state personal income taxes in California. The state has graduated tax brackets, so be sure to see where you fall in that hierarchy before you negotiate your salary at your new job. Sales taxes will likely also be higher, but property taxes, surprisingly, may be lower.
Traffic Woes
Traffic in the Bay Area isn’t so bad … if you compare it to Chicago. That’s because Chicago has the worst traffic in the country, and Chicagoans spend up to a week of their lives in their cars every year. So, when you’re stuck in your car on 880, 280 or 101, trying to get into San Francisco, which only has the seventh-worst traffic in the nation, remind yourself that it could always be worse … just not by much.
The average commute time in San Jose is 29 minutes — faster than either LA or SFO but slower than Sacramento or San Diego. If you can skip rush hour during your San Jose commute, you’ll save an average of seven minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening time. Just think about what you could do with that precious quarter-hour.
But San Jose’s traffic sure isn’t what it used to be … and thank goodness. Commute times were 15% longer in the Before times, thanks to the many workers who still work from home following the global pandemic.
The Bay Area does have a robust public transit system, so it’s a bit of a headscratcher how 91% of the region still commutes by car. The VTA (Santa Clara Valley Transport Authority) provides bus, BRT, express, light rail, regional rail and paratransit services, including those operated by BART. Depending on your commute, public transportation can sometimes take a bit longer than driving, but you can certainly save time — and an enormous amount of money — by not having to park your car or pay for gas/charging stations.
Is San Jose Right for You?
Despite the traffic woes and the high cost of living, San Jose’s cultural diversity, job opportunities and geographic location drive a hard bargain, even for reluctant newcomers.
If you are ready to embrace the Silicon Valley lifestyle, let Mayflower — the Nation’s Most Trusted Mover — help you move to San Jose. For nearly 100 years, we have moved families to cities across the country. See how our professional moving services can help you.
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Consider Moving Full-Service to San Jose
Moving long-distance to San Jose can be a daunting challenge. If you are planning on moving cross-country, why not leave the hassle to the pros? Mayflower offers full-service moving packages with options so you can get everything you need for a stress-free move. Our nationwide network of long-distance movers is licensed for interstate moves, and we can help you with packing, unpacking, shipping your cars, storing your belongings and even removing debris from your property.
If you’re moving within the state of California or the Bay Area, Mayflower’s interstate San Jose-San Francisco agents/movers can help you with local moves in San Jose and the South Bay independently under their businesses and brands.
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Get Moving Tips and Resources from the Pros
Even DIYers can pack like the pros by following Mayflower’s moving checklist and planner.
However you choose to move, be sure to set a week-by-week schedule to keep yourself on track. Use our moving blog to find our latest advice on packing your belongings, settling into your new home and even performing home maintenance. Welcome HOME magazine and our blogs break it all down for you, from the best way to tape up a box to how to move with pets.
Still deciding between two or more cities for your next home? Check out Mayflower’s state guides and city guides to find the scoop on the most popular places to live in the U.S.
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Before you move, we encourage you to thoroughly research neighborhoods in San Jose to see which location has the right amenities and resources for your family. Consider the area’s commute time, tax rates, cost of living, safety statistics, schools and any other factors that may be relevant to your needs.
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