San Jose now wears California’s unofficial crown for the most painful place to pay the bills, with San Francisco right on its heels. A fresh set of cost-of-living numbers confirms what many renters already feel in their bank accounts: housing is the heavyweight, and San Jose’s prices are edging past even San Francisco’s.
What the Index Shows
According to the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), the Cost of Living Index averages local prices across housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, health care, and other items. The latest figures rank San Jose among the priciest urban areas in the country, while placing San Francisco several spots below it. The C2ER data summarizes average annual costs for 2025 and are widely used to…..