How much salary do I need to buy a house in San Jose, CA?

About $467,618 gross per year to buy the typical $1,559,187 home in San Jose, CA at today's 6.67% 30-year rate with 10% down — roughly $10,911/month (principal, interest, taxes, insurance) under the 28% rule.

Can the typical resident afford a home in San Jose, CA?

No — the local median household income ($157,444) falls short of the $467,618 needed for the typical home, an affordability gap of $310,174.

WhereCanIAfford › Metros › San Jose, CA

Salary needed to buy a home in San Jose, CA

$467,618/yr is the income needed to buy the typical $1,559,187 home in San Jose, CA at today's 6.67% rate — about $10,911/mo. The local median household ($157,444) falls $310,174 short.

The math (shown)

1,559,187 price − 10% down (155,919) = 1,403,268 loan

30-yr fixed at 6.67% on 1,403,268 = 9,027/mo principal+interest

+ 1,884/mo est. taxes+insurance (1.45%/yr of value — national placeholder)

10,911/mo PITI ÷ 0.28 = 38,968/mo → 467,618/yr required

Verified 2026-08-19 against Zillow ZHVI 2026-07 (Zillow ZHVI (typical home value, smoothed, all-homes 33–67pct tier)) and the 6.67% FRED 30-yr rate (2026-08-13). Local median income: $157,444 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year, median household income (table B19013)).

Can I afford San Jose, CA on my salary?

Your salary:

Rent vs own here

Honest null: HUD FMR needs a free huduser.gov token (env.HUD_TOKEN). Honest-null until set. (HUD FMR needs a free token; not wired here.)

FAQ

How much do I need to make to live in San Jose, CA?: To buy the typical home, about $467,618/yr. Renting needs less; this page sizes the buy.
What home value is this based on?: Zillow's ZHVI typical-home-value for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro (2026-07): $1,559,187.
Is the mortgage rate current?: Yes — 6.67% from FRED's weekly 30-year fixed average (2026-08-13).

Glossary

ZHVI: Zillow Home Value Index — the typical home value for a region (35th–65th percentile, smoothed, seasonally adjusted).
Front-end DTI: Housing payment as a share of gross income; lenders commonly cap it near 28%.
PITI: Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance — the full monthly housing cost.

For San Jose, CA: FIRE number → · take-home vs another city → · is there a better town for you? →

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