Should I Move To
Roughly 128,058 people live in Santa Clara, California. Living here costs very expensive relative to the rest of the country, 54% above the national average. Median rent runs about $2,841/mo; the typical household pulls in $165,352. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 37/100 — a F, putting it at #877 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Santa Clara sits at 154 — very expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($2,841/mo against $165,352 median household income), housing eats roughly 21% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $1,440,200.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is mild: roughly 80°F in summer, 42°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 13 inches. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods. Crime runs a touch higher than the typical US city — citywide numbers, of course, mask big neighborhood differences. Air quality reads good (AQI 49).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Santa Clara isn't the strongest match. It earns 37/100 (grade F) on the families profile. Strongest on education (93/100); weakest on affordability (1/100).
For retirees, Santa Clara isn't the strongest match. It earns 26/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on education (93/100); weakest on affordability (1/100).
For remote workers, Santa Clara isn't the strongest match. It earns 22/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on education (93/100); weakest on affordability (1/100).
For young professionals, Santa Clara isn't the strongest match. It earns 46/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on education (93/100); weakest on affordability (1/100).
Santa Clara, California pulls a 37/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #877 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Santa Clara's cost-of-living index is 154 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the very expensive band — 54% above the national average. Median rent runs about $2,841/mo.
Mild — summer averages around 80°F, winter averages around 42°F, with about 13 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 41/100. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods.
Santa Clara has about 128,058 residents, 65% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 35.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Santa Clara head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Santa Clara stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Santa Clara with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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