City comparison
Glendale, CA is about 300 miles (475 km) from San Jose, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 375 miles, or about 6 h behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Glendale, CA to San Jose, CA takes about 35 min, covering roughly 300 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
San Jose has a population of 1,001,176, vs 194,512 in Glendale — about 5.1× larger by population. By land area, San Jose covers about 180 sq mi vs 30 sq mi for Glendale.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Glendale | San Jose | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,002/mo | $2,526/mo | 26.2% higher in San Jose |
| Median home value | $992,000 | $1,149,600 | 15.9% higher in San Jose |
| Median household income | $81,219 | $136,010 | 67.5% higher in San Jose |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 105.1 | 1.3% higher in Glendale |
| Utilities index | 155.6 | 153.8 | 1.1% higher in Glendale |
| Transportation index | 104.4 | 100.7 | 3.7% higher in Glendale |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.6 | 3.7% higher in Glendale |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Glendale, you'd need $111,677 in San Jose to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Glendale, CA is about 10.5% cheaper overall than San Jose, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 24% higher in San Jose than in Glendale. If you earn $80,000 in Glendale, you'd need about $89,341 in San Jose to keep the same standard of living.