Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Milpitas's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Milpitas?
Your $100,000 in Milpitas has the same purchasing power as $65,189 in the average US city. You'd need $34,811 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Milpitas's cost index of 153, sorted by closest match.
If you're weighing a move to Milpitas, the short answer is that the city has a few genuine arguments going for it — most obviously paychecks here run high and the weather doesn't punish you, plus 3 more things worth knowing. Here's the longer version.
Median household income in Milpitas is $166,769 — well above the US median of roughly $75k. It's a city where high-paying industries (tech, finance, professional services) cluster, and the income distribution tilts noticeably upward relative to most of the country.
Summers in Milpitas average about 80°F, winters around 42°F. That's the band where you get distinct seasons without either end being miserable — a real spring and fall, summers warm enough for the pool, winters cold enough for a jacket but not for survival gear.
Milpitas earns a Walk Score of 64/100 — above the US median, with denser neighborhoods scoring higher than the citywide aggregate suggests. A car is still useful for longer trips, but everyday life works on foot for a lot of residents.
Milpitas's Bike Score is 61/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
56% of adults 25 and over in Milpitas hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Milpitas's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Now and then. Milpitas's winters are cool rather than truly cold — about 42°F on average — so most of the precipitation falls as rain. A snowy morning happens a few times a season; sustained accumulation is rare.
Mild on the cold side. Milpitas's winter average of about 42°F is the kind of weather where you want a jacket but the heating bill is manageable. Snow is rare, frost is occasional, and the lawn never really browns out.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Milpitas runs about 80°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Approximately USDA Hardiness Zone 9. That's the band gardeners use to pick plants — anything rated for Zone 9 or colder should survive a typical winter in Milpitas. (The estimate is derived from our winter-temperature data; the official USDA map uses station-level annual minimums and may differ by half a zone.)
Milpitas sits at about 39 feet (12 m) above sea level — low-lying, but with enough cushion that day-to-day life isn't affected by ocean levels.
Average for an American city. Milpitas's reported crime rate of about 3,954 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Yes — Milpitas is one of the more expensive places to live in the US. The cost-of-living index is 153, about 53% above the national average. Housing is the dominant factor, and salaries here have to be high to compensate.
Somewhat. Milpitas earns a Walk Score of 64/100 — many daily errands are doable on foot, especially in the denser neighborhoods, but a car still helps for longer trips. Transit Score is 32 out of 100.
Roughly $107,380 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Milpitas runs about $2,981/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.