City comparison
San Jose, CA is about 30 miles (50 km) from San Leandro, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 40 miles, or about 43 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 San Jose, CA to San Leandro, CA takes about 4 min, covering roughly 30 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 89,723 in San Leandro — about 11.2× larger by population. By land area, San Jose covers about 180 sq mi vs 13 sq mi for San Leandro.
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 | San Jose | San Leandro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,526/mo | $1,997/mo | 26.5% higher in San Jose |
| Median home value | $1,149,600 | $772,700 | 48.8% higher in San Jose |
| Median household income | $136,010 | $97,141 | 40.0% higher in San Jose |
| Groceries index | 105.1 | 108.1 | 2.9% higher in San Leandro |
| Utilities index | 153.8 | 168.3 | 9.4% higher in San Leandro |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 106.1 | 5.4% higher in San Leandro |
| Healthcare index | 100.6 | 106.0 | 5.4% higher in San Leandro |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in San Jose, you'd need $96,943 in San Leandro to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Leandro, CA is about 3.1% cheaper overall than San Jose, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 10% higher in San Jose than in San Leandro. If you earn $80,000 in San Jose, you'd need about $77,554 in San Leandro to keep the same standard of living.