Living in Santa Clara, CA
Suburb in California
Santa Clara is a suburb in California, home to about 129,000 people, with 3.7 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Santa Clara a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 11 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Easy flying: SJC is 2 mi away
- Mild summers: highs around 81°F
- Highly educated: 65% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 3 research universities are within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $1.67M, and rent is $4,600 a month
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Santa Clara ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Santa Clara: common questions
What is the cost of living in Santa Clara?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $1.67M, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $4,600 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 110, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Santa Clara?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.59% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Santa Clara safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.4× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Santa Clara?
Santa Clara has mild winters: winter days average around 61°F and summer days around 81°F.
Does Santa Clara get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from earthquakes and flooding: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.59 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Santa Clara?
The nearest major airport is SJC, about 2 mi away.
How Santa Clara scores
Each bar compares Santa Clara with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Santa Clara right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.