Should I Move To
Roughly 154,573 people live in Sunnyvale, California. Living here costs very expensive relative to the rest of the country, 54% above the national average. Median rent runs about $2,990/mo; the typical household pulls in $174,506. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 47/100 — a D, putting it at #629 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, Sunnyvale sits at 154 — very expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($2,990/mo against $174,506 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 $1,680,700.
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. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car. Crime rates land roughly average for a US city of this size. Air quality reads good (AQI 49).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Sunnyvale isn't the strongest match. It earns 47/100 (grade D) on the families profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on affordability (0/100).
For retirees, Sunnyvale isn't the strongest match. It earns 38/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on affordability (0/100).
For remote workers, Sunnyvale isn't the strongest match. It earns 31/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on affordability (0/100).
For young professionals, Sunnyvale is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 57/100 (grade C) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on affordability (0/100).
Sunnyvale, California pulls a 47/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #629 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Sunnyvale'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 $2,990/mo.
Mild — summer averages around 80°F, winter averages around 42°F, with about 13 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 75/100. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car.
Sunnyvale has about 154,573 residents, 68% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 35.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
Take the 2-minute UrbRank quiz to get a personalized ranking of US cities based on your priorities — cost, climate, commute, jobs, and more.