To take home four times the typical rent here, a full-time job needs to pay at least $96.48 an hour before taxes, about $200,675 a year.
Rent is the middle of 56 ZIP-level HUD studio rents in the county. HUD's county-wide figure is $2,458 (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA HUD Metro FMR Area).
Rents vary within the county. This is what the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent; the county figure above is what the calculator uses.
| ZIP | Place | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94022 | Los Altos | $3,010/mo | $114.51/hr |
| 94023 | Los Altos | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 94024 | Los Altos | $3,030/mo | $115.37/hr |
| 94035 | Mountain View | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 94039 | Mountain View | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 94040 | Mountain View | $3,040/mo | $115.80/hr |
| 94041 | Mountain View | $2,790/mo | $105.70/hr |
| 94042 | Mountain View | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 94043 | Mountain View | $2,760/mo | $104.51/hr |
| 94085 | Sunnyvale | $3,020/mo | $114.94/hr |
| 94086 | Sunnyvale | $2,710/mo | $102.55/hr |
| 94087 | Sunnyvale | $2,900/mo | $110.06/hr |
| 94088 | Sunnyvale | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 94089 | Sunnyvale | $2,840/mo | $107.68/hr |
| 94301 | Palo Alto | $2,680/mo | $101.37/hr |
| 94302 | Palo Alto | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 94303 | Palo Alto | $2,430/mo | $91.12/hr |
| 94304 | Palo Alto | $2,920/mo | $110.85/hr |
| 94305 | Stanford | $1,750/mo | $61.74/hr |
| 94306 | Palo Alto | $2,650/mo | $100.20/hr |
| 94309 | Palo Alto | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95002 | Alviso | $2,030/mo | $73.80/hr |
| 95008 | Campbell | $2,490/mo | $93.72/hr |
| 95009 | Campbell | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95011 | Campbell | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95013 | Coyote | $2,340/mo | $87.22/hr |
| 95014 | Cupertino | $3,040/mo | $115.80/hr |
| 95015 | Cupertino | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95020 | Gilroy | $1,980/mo | $71.64/hr |
| 95021 | Gilroy | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95026 | Holy City | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95030 | Los Gatos | $2,500/mo | $94.15/hr |
| 95031 | Los Gatos | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95032 | Los Gatos | $2,730/mo | $103.33/hr |
| 95033 | Los Gatos (partly) | $3,390/mo | $130.88/hr |
| 95035 | Milpitas | $2,780/mo | $105.30/hr |
| 95036 | Milpitas | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95037 | Morgan Hill | $2,070/mo | $75.53/hr |
| 95038 | Morgan Hill | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95044 | Redwood Estates | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95046 | San Martin | $2,100/mo | $76.83/hr |
| 95050 | Santa Clara | $2,400/mo | $89.82/hr |
| 95051 | Santa Clara | $2,770/mo | $104.90/hr |
| 95052 | Santa Clara | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95053 | Santa Clara | $2,400/mo | $89.82/hr |
| 95054 | Santa Clara | $3,180/mo | $121.83/hr |
| 95055 | Santa Clara | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95056 | Santa Clara | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95070 | Saratoga | $2,850/mo | $108.08/hr |
| 95071 | Saratoga | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95101 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95103 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95106 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95108 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95109 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95110 | San Jose | $2,280/mo | $84.63/hr |
| 95111 | San Jose | $1,800/mo | $63.85/hr |
| 95112 | San Jose | $2,180/mo | $80.30/hr |
| 95113 | San Jose | $2,700/mo | $102.16/hr |
| 95116 | San Jose | $1,960/mo | $70.77/hr |
| 95117 | San Jose | $2,190/mo | $80.73/hr |
| 95118 | San Jose | $2,220/mo | $82.03/hr |
| 95119 | San Jose | $2,690/mo | $101.77/hr |
| 95120 | San Jose | $2,630/mo | $99.42/hr |
| 95121 | San Jose | $2,580/mo | $97.47/hr |
| 95122 | San Jose | $2,060/mo | $75.10/hr |
| 95123 | San Jose | $2,530/mo | $95.45/hr |
| 95124 | San Jose | $2,520/mo | $95.02/hr |
| 95125 | San Jose | $2,270/mo | $84.19/hr |
| 95126 | San Jose | $2,440/mo | $91.55/hr |
| 95127 | San Jose | $2,210/mo | $81.60/hr |
| 95128 | San Jose | $2,490/mo | $93.72/hr |
| 95129 | San Jose | $2,430/mo | $91.12/hr |
| 95130 | San Jose | $1,980/mo | $71.64/hr |
| 95131 | San Jose | $2,720/mo | $102.94/hr |
| 95132 | San Jose | $2,730/mo | $103.33/hr |
| 95133 | San Jose | $2,250/mo | $83.33/hr |
| 95134 | San Jose | $3,350/mo | $129.16/hr |
| 95135 | San Jose | $2,760/mo | $104.51/hr |
| 95136 | San Jose | $2,370/mo | $88.52/hr |
| 95138 | San Jose | $2,400/mo | $89.82/hr |
| 95139 | San Jose | $2,910/mo | $110.45/hr |
| 95140 | Mount Hamilton | $2,380/mo | $88.95/hr |
| 95141 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95148 | San Jose | $2,760/mo | $104.51/hr |
| 95150 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95151 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95152 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95153 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95154 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95155 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95156 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95157 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95158 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95159 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95160 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95161 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95164 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95170 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95172 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 95173 | San Jose | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Santa Clara County, California needs to pay at least $96.48 an hour before taxes, about $200,675 a year. That leaves $10,220 a month after taxes, four times the typical $2,555 rent on a studio apartment.
The minimum wage here is $16.90 an hour (California minimum wage). The standard is 5.7 times that. A full-time minimum-wage job takes home about $2,467 a month, 24% of the standard.
Take the typical monthly cost of a studio apartment, multiply by four, and divide by 160 hours of work a month. That's the take-home pay needed per hour. The pay before taxes is what it takes to keep that much after federal, state and local income taxes and Social Security and Medicare.
The idea behind the standard is laid out in Chapter 1: The Living Wage Revolution.