City comparison
San Jose, CA is about 700 miles (1,100 km) from Seattle, WA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 900 miles, or about 15 hours 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 Seattle, WA takes about 1 h 26 min, covering roughly 700 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 734,603 in Seattle — about 1.4× larger by population. By land area, San Jose covers about 180 sq mi vs 84 sq mi for Seattle.
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 | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,526/mo | $1,945/mo | 29.9% higher in San Jose |
| Median home value | $1,149,600 | $879,900 | 30.7% higher in San Jose |
| Median household income | $136,010 | $116,068 | 17.2% higher in San Jose |
| Groceries index | 105.1 | 103.0 | 2.0% higher in San Jose |
| Utilities index | 153.8 | 92.5 | 66.3% higher in San Jose |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 108.1 | 7.4% higher in Seattle |
| Healthcare index | 100.6 | 108.8 | 8.1% higher in Seattle |
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 $81,367 in Seattle to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Seattle, WA is about 18.6% cheaper overall than San Jose, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 39% higher in San Jose than in Seattle. If you earn $80,000 in San Jose, you'd need about $65,094 in Seattle to keep the same standard of living.