City comparison
Milpitas, CA is about 10 miles (20 km) from San Jose, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 10 miles, or about 13 min 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 Milpitas, CA to San Jose, CA takes about 1 min, covering roughly 10 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 79,092 in Milpitas — about 12.7× larger by population. By land area, San Jose covers about 180 sq mi vs 13 sq mi for Milpitas.
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 | Milpitas | San Jose | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,981/mo | $2,526/mo | 18.0% higher in Milpitas |
| Median home value | $1,155,000 | $1,149,600 | 0.5% higher in Milpitas |
| Median household income | $166,769 | $136,010 | 22.6% higher in Milpitas |
| Groceries index | 105.8 | 105.1 | 0.7% higher in Milpitas |
| Utilities index | 157.2 | 153.8 | 2.2% higher in Milpitas |
| Transportation index | 101.9 | 100.7 | 1.2% higher in Milpitas |
| Healthcare index | 101.9 | 100.6 | 1.2% higher in Milpitas |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Milpitas, you'd need $99,570 in San Jose to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Jose, CA is about 0.4% cheaper overall than Milpitas, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Milpitas, you'd need about $79,656 in San Jose to keep the same standard of living.