Route comparison
San Jose, CA vs Fresno, CA: Cost of Living
Compare San Jose, CA and Fresno, CA using historical BEA 2024 price indexes and HUD FY2027 2-bedroom FMR benchmarks. Add your own salary, lease and moving quote to a budget summary.
San Jose, CA
CA
- 2024 overall RPP (US=100)
- 110.423
- 2024 housing-rent RPP
- 211.901
- 2024 goods RPP
- 105.168
- HUD FY2027 2-BR FMR
- $3,272/mo
City name is shorthand for an area benchmark. This September 2026 review did not recheck this area's full BEA/HUD geographic mapping.
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Confirm take-home pay for your work and home addresses separately.
Fresno, CA
CA
- 2024 overall RPP (US=100)
- 102.158
- 2024 housing-rent RPP
- 95.725
- 2024 goods RPP
- 105.168
- HUD FY2027 2-BR FMR
- $1,685/mo
City name is shorthand for an area benchmark. This September 2026 review did not recheck this area's full BEA/HUD geographic mapping.
Income tax and payroll deductions are not calculated. Confirm take-home pay for your work and home addresses separately.
Historical RPP salary illustration
In the BEA 2024 benchmark, Fresno, CA has a lower overall price level than San Jose, CA by about 7.5% (RPP 110.423 to 102.158).
$60,000 in San Jose, CA
-> $55,509
in Fresno, CA
$100,000 in San Jose, CA
-> $92,515
in Fresno, CA
$150,000 in San Jose, CA
-> $138,773
in Fresno, CA
Salary illustrations use BEA 2024 overall Regional Price Parities (RPP) only, before tax and household-specific adjustments. Overall RPP already includes housing. HUD FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a separate historical gross-rent benchmark, not a current lease or median rent. Do not add rent to the RPP salary figure. Your lease and moving quote belong in a separate budget. Not financial advice.
Step 2: what will the move itself cost?
Put your actual lease, deposit, overlap rent and mover quote beside the historical salary illustration. Leave amounts you do not yet know blank.
Migration signal: San Jose, CA vs Fresno, CA
IRS tax-return migration · 2022-2023San Jose, CA
- Net people
- −19,801
- Net rank
- #58 of 65
- Top origin share
- 13%
- Top destination share
- 14%
Largest source: Alameda County, CA. Largest destination: Alameda County, CA.
Fresno, CA
- Net people
- −369
- Net rank
- #35 of 65
- Top origin share
- 14%
- Top destination share
- 13%
Largest source: Tulare County, CA. Largest destination: Tulare County, CA.
Rent delta: Fresno, CA is $1,587/mo lower for HUD FY2027 2-BR FMR than San Jose, CA. Housing RPP moves from 211.901 to 95.725.
Migration figures are derived from IRS SOI county-to-county migration data for 2022-2023, mapped to metros via Census CBSA delineation. Small county-to-county flows are IRS-suppressed, so per-metro totals are lower bounds. Source: IRS SOI migration data.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Fresno, CA cheaper or more expensive than San Jose, CA?
- In the BEA 2024 benchmark, Fresno, CA (RPP 102.158) has an overall price level about 7.5% lower than San Jose, CA (RPP 110.423). This does not measure your current household costs.
- What salary do I need in Fresno, CA if I earn $100,000 in San Jose, CA?
- The historical RPP illustration is approximately $92,515 in Fresno, CA, using $100,000 x (102.158 / 110.423). It uses BEA 2024 overall price indexes before tax and household adjustments; HUD rent is not added to this figure.
- Which metro had stronger net migration, San Jose, CA or Fresno, CA?
- For 2022-2023, San Jose, CA had a net loss of 19,801 people, while Fresno, CA had a net loss of 369 people. IRS small-flow suppression means these are lower-bound research signals, not complete population-change totals.