Most of Santa Clara is in Santa Clara County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $96.48 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 7 ZIP codes in Santa Clara with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,400 to $3,180 a month. At the middle rent, $2,460, a full-time job would need to pay $92.42 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95050 | Santa Clara County | $2,400/mo | $89.82/hr |
| 95051 | Santa Clara County | $2,770/mo | $104.90/hr |
| 95052 | Santa Clara County | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95053 | Santa Clara County | $2,400/mo | $89.82/hr |
| 95054 | Santa Clara County | $3,180/mo | $121.83/hr |
| 95055 | Santa Clara County | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95056 | Santa Clara County | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Santa Clara needs to pay at least $96.48 an hour before taxes, about $200,675 a year. That is the figure for Santa Clara County, where the typical studio rent is $2,555 a month.
Yes. Across the 7 ZIP codes in Santa Clara with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,400 to $3,180 a month. At the middle rent of $2,460, the pay needed would be $92.42 an hour.
The minimum wage in Santa Clara County is $16.90 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 5.7 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads