Cost of living in Sunnyvale research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Sunnyvale is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in California, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Sunnyvale is 204, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Sunnyvale is 2.0x higher than the national average.
Sunnyvale ranks as the #578 cheapest in California out of 635.
Sunnyvale ranks as the #6,322 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Sunnyvale is $1,528,500.
The median income in Sunnyvale is $161,670.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Sunnyvale has an overall cost of living index of 204, which is 2.0x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Sunnyvale has a cost of living index that's 1.5x higher than California's index of 139.
The standard of living in Sunnyvale ranks as #578 most affordable out of the 635 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Sunnyvale ranks as the #57 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Sunnyvale, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Sunnyvale. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Sunnyvale is 117.
The Groceries index in Sunnyvale is 134.
The Health index in Sunnyvale is 125.
The Housing index in Sunnyvale is 389.
The Transportation index in Sunnyvale is 145.
The Utilities index in Sunnyvale is 135.
Living Expense | Sunnyvale | California | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 204 | 139 | 100 | |
Services | 117 | 110 | 100 | |
Groceries | 134 | 112 | 100 | |
Health | 125 | 109 | 100 | |
Housing | 389 | 204 | 100 | |
Transportation | 145 | 126 | 100 | |
Utilities | 135 | 124 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in California, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Sunnyvale is $1,528,500.
The Median Rent in Sunnyvale is $2,837.
The Median Income in Sunnyvale is $161,670.
The Home Value To Income in Sunnyvale is 9.5x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Sunnyvale is 0.21x.
Statistic | Sunnyvale | California | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $1,528,500 | $573,200 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $2,837 | $1,698 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $161,670 | $84,097 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 9.5x | 6.8x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.21x | 0.24x | 0.2x |
Item | Sunnyvale | California |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $1.39 | $1.06 |
Movie | $13.23 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $19.56 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $19.39 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $67.86 | $39.05 |
Item | Sunnyvale | California |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $3.73 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.89 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.87 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.35 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $12.66 | $10.62 |
Beer | $10.57 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $3.07 | $2.34 |
Item | Sunnyvale | California |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $136.92 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $146.83 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $133.38 | $99.13 |
Item | Sunnyvale | California |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $3.38 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $62.03 | $50.07 |
Item | Sunnyvale | California |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $269.4 | $167.67 |
Phone | $187.26 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Sunnyvale. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Santa Clara, CA has a cost of living index of 192, 0.9x Sunnyvale.
San Mateo, CA has a cost of living index of 205, 1.0x Sunnyvale.
Mountain View, CA has a cost of living index of 220, 1.1x Sunnyvale.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Sunnyvale |
---|---|---|---|
Santa Clara, CA | 127,922 | 192 | 0.9x |
San Mateo, CA | 105,087 | 205 | 1.0x |
Mountain View, CA | 82,409 | 220 | 1.1x |
Palo Alto, CA | 68,624 | 303 | 1.5x |
Cupertino, CA | 60,681 | 252 | 1.2x |
Menlo Park, CA | 33,677 | 289 | 1.4x |
Los Altos, CA | 31,562 | 340 | 1.7x |
Saratoga, CA | 31,194 | 310 | 1.5x |
San Carlos, CA | 30,754 | 237 | 1.2x |
Belmont, CA | 28,109 | 231 | 1.1x |