---
title: "Modesto vs San Jose (California) for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/modesto-vs-san-jose-california
description: "Under balanced weights San Jose (California) edges it, 60 to 59, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Modesto vs San Jose (California) for digital nomads

Under balanced weights San Jose (California) edges it, 60 to 59, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Climate.** Modesto leads on climate, 50 to 42, against San Jose (California). Comfortable months: 6 vs 5.
- **Getting there & around.** San Jose (California) leads on getting there & around, 21 to 13, against Modesto. Non-stop airport destinations: 53 vs 38.

Where they are close: within five points on air quality, cost of living, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.

**Pick Modesto if you want** to spend about $190 less a month.

**Pick San Jose (California) if you want** no clear edge over Modesto in the data.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Modesto | San Jose (California) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 19 | 16 | Modesto |
| Safety | 51 | 51 | tie |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Internet | 80 | 82 | San Jose (California) |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 13 | 21 | San Jose (California) |
| Climate | 50 | 42 | Modesto |
| Air quality | 80 | 83 | San Jose (California) |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Modesto | San Jose (California) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,123 | $3,313 | Modesto |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Modesto | San Jose (California) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Modesto | San Jose (California) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 75.3 Mbps | 84.2 Mbps | San Jose (California) |
| Upload | 15.2 Mbps | 16.5 Mbps | San Jose (California) |

## Visa

| Metric | Modesto | San Jose (California) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Modesto | San Jose (California) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 53 | 38 | Modesto |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 3 | San Jose (California) |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Modesto | San Jose (California) | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 6 | 5 | Modesto |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 13.9 µg/m³ | 12.5 µg/m³ | San Jose (California) |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Modesto or San Jose (California)?

Modesto is cheaper: about $3,123 per month versus $3,313 for one person.

### Is Modesto or San Jose (California) safer?

Modesto and San Jose (California) score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Modesto or San Jose (California)?

San Jose (California): a measured median of 84.2 Mbps versus 75.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Modesto](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/modesto) · [San Jose (California)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/san-jose-california). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/modesto-vs-san-jose-california