City comparison
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 | Sterling Heights | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,526/mo | $1,215/mo | 107.9% higher in A |
| Median home value | $1,149,600 | $243,400 | 372.3% higher in A |
| Median household income | $136,010 | $75,381 | 80.4% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 114.4 | 102.8 | 11.3% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 141.7 | 89.3 | 58.7% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 125.8 | 93.0 | 35.3% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 132.6 | 93.7 | 41.5% higher in A |
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 $60,842 in Sterling Heights to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Sterling Heights, MI is about 39.2% cheaper overall than San Jose, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 52% lower in Sterling Heights than in San Jose. If you earn $80,000 in San Jose, you'd need about $48,673 in Sterling Heights to keep the same standard of living.