Most of Sunnyvale 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 5 ZIP codes in Sunnyvale with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,460 to $3,020 a month. At the middle rent, $2,840, a full-time job would need to pay $107.68 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94085 | Santa Clara County | $3,020/mo | $114.94/hr |
| 94086 | Santa Clara County | $2,710/mo | $102.55/hr |
| 94087 | Santa Clara County | $2,900/mo | $110.06/hr |
| 94088 | Santa Clara County | $2,460/mo | $92.42/hr |
| 94089 | Santa Clara County | $2,840/mo | $107.68/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Sunnyvale 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 5 ZIP codes in Sunnyvale with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $2,460 to $3,020 a month. At the middle rent of $2,840, the pay needed would be $107.68 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