Philadelphia - PA vs San Jose - CA: 2026 Housing Comparison

What this means for buyers

San Jose - CA is roughly 295% more expensive than Philadelphia - PA in typical home value. Philadelphia - PA sees more listings with price cuts (26.3% vs 22.5%), a sign of softening seller expectations.

Philadelphia vs San Jose: what the numbers say

At today's 7.24% average 30-year rate with 20% down, the typical home would cost about $2,105 a month in principal and interest in Philadelphia and $8,307 in San Jose, a gap of $6,202 a month.

Typical rent runs $1,903 in Philadelphia and $3,812 in San Jose, so the mortgage payment alone is 1.1 times rent in Philadelphia and 2.2 times rent in San Jose, before taxes and insurance.

Home prices are 16.9 years of rent in Philadelphia and 33.3 in San Jose; the lower ratio in Philadelphia means buying there is cheaper relative to renting.

Over the last 23 months typical values moved +5.4% in Philadelphia and -2.5% in San Jose; over just the last three months the change was +0.7% in Philadelphia and +0.5% in San Jose.

Homes sell for 100.1% of list price in Philadelphia and 102.1% in San Jose, after 15 and 17 days on the market, with price cuts on 26% and 22% of listings. The signs are mixed: Philadelphia has more price cuts and sales further below list, while San Jose has longer time on the market.

The number of homes for sale is up 9% on a year ago in Philadelphia and up 7% on a year ago in San Jose.

Payments assume a 30-year fixed loan at the Freddie Mac weekly average rate (2026-10-29), 20% down, principal and interest only. Home values, rents and market figures are Zillow Research metro data.