2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Novato, CA vs San Jose, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in San Jose or is it cheaper to live in Novato?
- San Jose is 0.4% more expensive than Novato.

Which city has more affordable housing, San Jose or Novato?
- San Jose housing costs are 22.0% more expensive than Novato housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Novato or is Health Care more affordable in San Jose.
- Health related expenses are 2.2% less in San Jose.
 Novato, CASan Jose, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock231.0100
 Food & Groceries111.9  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock107.7100
 Housing351.3  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,184,400$338,100
 Utilities95  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock151.0100
 Miscellaneous164.6  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Novato    9 Reviews

Lush hills, hiking trails, and easy access to both wine country and San Francisco. We love it here.  More

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Over 10 years ago

Novato is a family oriented community located about 20 miles north of the Golden Gate bridge. The quality of life is excellent here assuming your job pays you enough to  More

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Over 11 years ago

We recently moved to a secluded neighborhood in Novato after 25 years in central Marin. While there are fewer restaurants and galleries, we are very pleased with our  More

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Reviews for San Jose    90 Reviews

I've lived in west San Jose/Cambrian, between Los Gatos and Almaden SJ since 1997. This side of town somehow avoided the erosion of the American dream. Houses are  More

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I lived in San Jose for 40 years. That’s during the most exciting time when the Silicon Valley was booming with real technology and San Jose was ranked as the safest big  More

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Over 4 years ago

I've lived in San Jose, CA for 25 years. This city is being over run with crime and gangs. The cost of living is very high. Granted, you are so close to mountains,  More

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