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

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Alameda or is it cheaper to live in San Jose?
- Alameda is 15.4% less expensive than San Jose.

Which city has more affordable housing, Alameda or San Jose?
- Alameda housing costs are 1.0% less expensive than San Jose housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in San Jose or is Health Care more affordable in Alameda.
- Health related expenses are 8.4% more in Alameda.
 San Jose, CAAlameda, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock195.5100
 Food & Groceries113.7  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock116.8100
 Housing428.5  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,179,600$338,100
 Utilities97  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock125.4100
 Miscellaneous155.8  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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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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Reviews for Alameda    6 Reviews

Over 7 years ago

Having been born here & 70 now I have watched firsthand, a small, quiet town ruined by excessive building, overcrowding and far too many restaurants for a city this  More

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Enjoy the immense benefit to having a close-knit community with main-street USA feel less than 10 miles from the resources of several urban and education  More

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Alameda, CA is a unique town here in the Bay Area. Perhaps because it is an island, or perhaps because for many decades it was a U.S. Army base, the city has never  More

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