City comparison
Flint, MI vs San Jose, CA
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in San Jose, CA are 18.7% higher than in Flint, MI. Someone earning $100,000 in Flint, MI would need about $118,700 in San Jose, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $2,982 a month in San Jose, CA versus $856 in Flint, MI. On $100,000, that's 48% of take-home pay in San Jose, CA and 14% in Flint, MI.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $1,071 a year higher in San Jose, CA than in Flint, MI.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +13.3% moving from Flint, MI to San Jose, CA ($117,402 → $133,060), while prices change by +18.7%. Net effect of the transfer: −4.5% in real buying power.
- Flint, MI: price level 93.0 (cheaper)
- San Jose, CA: price level 110.4 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Flint, MI | San Jose, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 93.0 | 110.4 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $118,691 in San Jose | $84,252 in Flint |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $856/mo | $2,982/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $75,181 | $74,110 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,999 (MI) | $5,070 (CA) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 14% | 48% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $45,880 | $84,050 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA |
Rent areas: Flint, MI MSA and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Flint, MI and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Flint | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 74.0 | 211.9 |
| Goods | 93.7 | 105.2 |
| Utilities | 97.1 | 156.7 |
| Other services | 99.6 | 100.3 |
| Overall | 93.0 | 110.4 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Flint, MI → San Jose, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −15.7%; rent takes 48% of take-home; state tax +$1,071/yr.
3 Weak offer
San Jose, CA → Flint, MI
Same pay goes further
Buying power +18.7%; rent takes 14% of take-home; state tax −$1,071/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Flint, MI is in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI pay area; San Jose, CA is in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA. The last column shows what a transfer from Flint, MI to San Jose, CA at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Flint, MI | San Jose, CA | Real change, Flint → San Jose |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $68,081 | $77,161 | −4.5% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $82,372 | $93,358 | −4.5% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $98,729 | $111,896 | −4.5% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $117,402 | $133,060 | −4.5% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $138,734 | $157,236 | −4.5% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Flint, MI | San Jose, CA | San Jose pay in Flint dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $65,620 | $102,860 | $86,662 (+32.1%) |
| Software Developers | $101,750 | $213,110 | $179,550 (+76.5%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $74,500 | $121,700 | $102,535 (+37.6%) |
| Registered Nurses | $97,780 | $216,740 | $182,609 (+86.8%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.