City comparison
San Jose, CA is about 40 miles (60 km) from South San Francisco, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 50 miles, or about 49 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 South San Francisco, CA takes about 5 min, covering roughly 40 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 65,596 in South San Francisco — about 15.3× larger by population. By land area, San Jose covers about 180 sq mi vs 9.2 sq mi for South San Francisco.
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 | South San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,526/mo | $2,649/mo | 4.9% higher in South San Francisco |
| Median home value | $1,149,600 | $1,113,000 | 3.3% higher in San Jose |
| Median household income | $136,010 | $127,062 | 7.0% higher in San Jose |
| Groceries index | 105.1 | 108.1 | 2.9% higher in South San Francisco |
| Utilities index | 153.8 | 168.3 | 9.4% higher in South San Francisco |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 106.1 | 5.4% higher in South San Francisco |
| Healthcare index | 100.6 | 106.0 | 5.4% higher in South San Francisco |
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 $98,226 in South San Francisco to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
South San Francisco, CA is about 1.8% cheaper overall than San Jose, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 8% higher in San Jose than in South San Francisco. If you earn $80,000 in San Jose, you'd need about $78,581 in South San Francisco to keep the same standard of living.