Moving to Sunnyvale, CA? 2024 Living Costs & Relocation Tips

Sunnyvale is one of the major cities in Silicon Valley. It is just 60 minutes from the coast and close to California’s amazing redwood forests. It is also home to companies such as Yahoo, AMD and Network Appliance.

If you are considering moving to Sunnyvale, the various costs listed below will help you make an informed decision on what costs are involved when moving and living in this area of sea, mountains, desert and high tech.

Quick Sunnyvale Facts:

Population: 148,372 (2017 estimate).
Official Language: English (de facto) with over 100 spoken in the area including Spanish, Hindi, Vietnamese, Chinese, French and German.
GDP Per Capita: Sunnyvale/San Jose/Santa Clara – $105,482 USD (2017 estimate)
Apple Inc: Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple was born and educated in Sunnyvale.
Currency: US Dollar (US$). As of early 2017, £1 = $0.80, €1 = $1.08, $1 CAD = $0.75, $1 AUD = $0.77

Sections

1. Moving and Shipping Costs to Sunnyvale

Below are some sample container shipping costs to Sunnyvale from other major world cities. Just keep in mind they only reflect the shipping portion of the cost and not the full moving costs.

New York City – $525+
Los Angeles – $156+
Canada (Vancouver) – $565+
UK (London) – $1,508+
Australia (Sydney) – $1,156+
Ireland (Dublin) – $1,742+
New Zealand (Auckland) – $1,823+
Hong Kong – $1,195+
Dubai – $3,030+
Singapore – $2,003+

You can save money by comparing moving companies using our moving quote form above.

2. Sunnyvale Housing Costs

Property in Sunnyvale is expensive, but cheaper than Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

Monthly Rental Prices in Sunnyvale

1 bedroom flat (apartment) in City Centre: $2,000+
1 bedroom flat outside the City Centre: $1,900+
3 bedroom flat in City Centre: $3,400+
3 bedroom flat outside the City Centre: $3,000+

Sunnyvale Home Purchase Prices

Price per square metre (10.7 square feet) to buy in City Centre: $10,537.86
Price per square metre (10.7 square feet) to buy outside City: $7,620.84

Sunnyvale Housing Cost Comparison

This is how rents in Sunnyvale compare with other cities around the globe.

London is 19.15% cheaper
New York 15.96% higher
Los Angeles is 22.95% cheaper
Toronto is 53.53% cheaper
Sydney is 24.98% cheaper
Paris is 51.54% cheaper
Dubai is 17.07% cheaper
Source: Numbeo

How to Save on Housing Costs

Share an apartment or house Have a look at the following sites to find your perfect roommate: Easyroommates, Claz.org, Trulia, Roommates.com, Trovit and Oodle Apartments.
Different areas – different prices. Sunnyvale has 27 neighbourhoods, all with their own personalities. Young professionals with a good income should look at Sunnyvale West. It has a good selection of apartments and detached houses. The majority of the property is this area is for rental. Heritage District is right in the middle of the city and would suit singles and young couples who work in the city and enjoy cycling or walking to work. Ponderosa Park is an area chosen by retirees and business people alike. Lakewood is an area preferred by the Baby Boomers and is reminiscent of times gone by.

3. Sunnyvale Food, Grocery and Restaurant Costs

Sunnyvale has restaurants serving food from most countries in the world. They range from great burgers to excellent fine dining.

Inexpensive Restaurant: $10 – $20
Takeout Coffee: $3.00 – $5.00
Bottle of Coke: $0.85 – $2.00
1L of milk: $0.73 – $1.32
Loaf of Bread: $1.64 – $3.31
12 Eggs: $2.00 – $4.99
1kg Chicken: $2.65 – $11.02
1kg Beef: $8.80 – $11.00
1kg Apples: $2.18 – $6.37
1kg White Rice: $1.43 – $6.60

This is how restaurants and food prices compare with other major cities in the world.

London restaurants are 11.00% more expensive and groceries are 27.50% cheaper than Sunnyvale.
New York restaurants are 19.94% more expensive and groceries are 16.29% more expensive than Sunnyvale.
Los Angeles restaurants are 0.45% more expensive and groceries are 9.12% cheaper than Sunnyvale.
Toronto restaurants are 18.74% cheaper and groceries are 24.33% cheaper than Sunnyvale.
Sydney restaurants are 10.01% cheaper and groceries are 2.74% cheaper than Sunnyvale.
Paris restaurants are 1.33% cheaper and groceries are 10.43% cheaper than Sunnyvale.
Dubai restaurants are 21.09% cheaper and groceries are 29.64% cheaper than Sunnyvale.

Source: Numbeo

Bonus Tips for Cheaper Food, Restaurants and Groceries

Know your supermarkets: Sunnyvale has a number of independently owned grocery stores and ethnic stores as well as the usual supermarket chains. There are also farmers’ markets and shops which sell health and organic foods. Popular supermarkets are Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Felipe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market and Zanotto’s.
Find Cheap Eats: With a little bit of effort you can find places which offer excellent food at affordable prices. Have a look at Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor, and City-Data.

4.Sunnyvale Alcohol Costs

There’s a variety of watering holes in Sunnyvale. Whatever vibe you are looking for, you will find it here.

Pint (0.5L) domestic beer at a restaurant/pub: $3.00 – $5.00
Bottle of imported beer at a restaurant/pub: $4.00 – $6.50
Pint (0.5L) domestic beer at a supermarket: $1.20 – $2.00
Bottle of imported beer at a supermarket: $1.50 – $2.50
Mid-range bottle of wine at a supermarket: $5.89 – $15.00

How to drink for less in Sunnyvale

Keep an eye on the local papers and websites for specials over weekends and public holidays.
Have a look at the following sites to find places to have a drink without breaking the bank – Yelp, Happy Hour Finder, Four Square and TripAdvisor.

5.Sunnyvale Transportation Fares

Sunnyvale has an excellent transport system for moving around and in and out of the valley. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority runs busses and light rails throughout San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.

The Caltrain takes you around San Jose and into San Francisco.

The Acetrain takes passengers out of San Jose towards Livermore and Stockton and has stations in San Jose, Santa Clara and Great America. Bay Area Rapid Transit moves thousands of people every day around Silicon Valley and San Francisco.

Here are some example ticket costs:

Adult Single – $7.00
One day ticket – $12.00
Monthly season ticket, unlimited – $84.80

How to save money on public transport

Buy a Clipper Card to get the best daily, monthly and annual deals
Buy a bike. Sunnyvale has dedicated bike lanes and there is even a bike sharing system.
If you live relatively close to where you work, walk.

6. Cost of Internet in Sunnyvale

Internet prices in the States are expensive compared with many other countries in the world. Here are some sample broadband internet prices from early 2017 for unlimited downloads, based on a 12-month contract:

AT&T – £40/mo for speeds up to 50 Mbps.
Xfinity – $39.99/mo speeds up to 25 Mbps.

7. Cost of Clothing, Personal Items, Gym and Leisure

Sunnyvale’s hottest month is in April where the temperature reaches an average high of 77°F (25°C). Its coldest month is in January, where the average temperature plummets to 72°F (22°C)!

September is the wettest month with an average rainfall of 10 inches (240mm). Sunnyvale enjoys around 300 days of sunshine a year.

Here are some clothing prices, together with other useful prices.

Pair of Jeans: $25 – $60
Summer Dress: $15 – $45
Running Shoes (Trainers): $35 – $95
Business Shoes: $50 – $125
Short Doctor’s visit (15 mins): $127.57
Deodorant: $3.40
Shampoo: $1.09
Toilet Paper (4 rolls): $3.12
Gym membership: $10-$160 per month
Movie (cinema) ticket: $10-$13.50

Source: Numbeo and Area Vibes

8. Cost of Owning a Car and Driving a Car in Sunnyvale

It depends on where you live in Sunnyvale as to whether you want to use your car for work. Many people prefer to use public transport and avoid the traffic. Also, many of the workers in Sunnyvale are environmentally conscious and, as they want to reduce their carbon footprint, they opt to walk or cycle to work.

If you’re moving to Sunnyvale from within the US, you’ll be able to keep your license but need to update your address to your new one.

You can drive on a foreign license for up to 12 months as a tourist but after that you will need to get an American license. If you are working or studying in the US, you can drive on your foreign license for 30 days. If you want to exchange your foreign driver’s license you have to follow the process here.

Here are some other sample costs of owning and operating a car in Sunnyvale:

Volkswagen Golf:$20,000
1 litre (¼ gallon) of gas (petrol):$0.73
Other fees (if any): The average cost of state and local taxes, license, title and registration fees is $665 per annum

Source: Numbeo, AAA Study

Ways to save money driving in Sunnyvale

Car sharing or pooling is one way to save money. Try Car Pool World, eRideshare and Zip Car.
Taxis can sometimes be a cheaper option, especially if you are going to have to park all day. Try Uber, Lyft or Uphail.

Need your car/vehicle moved to Sunnyvale? Then read our guide to: Car Transport & Vehicle Shipping

9. Taxes in Sunnyvale

No matter where you live in the State, you will pay state and federal tax. To learn more about the different taxes in the States go to Immihelp and USA taxes.

Sales Tax in Sunnyvale is 8.5% and is added to most goods and services. Generally, the price you see on an item does not include sales tax.

If you own your home, you will be subject to property tax based on the area in which you live and the size of the property you live in. Learn more about property tax in Sunnyvale at Property Tax.

Finally, if you decide to buy a flat or house in Sunnyvale you’ll have to pay real estate transfer tax.

10. Flight Costs from Sunnyvale

If you do make the move to Silicon Valley, here’s approximately how much it will cost to fly to other major world cities based on lowest, one-way fares from Skyscanner as of early 2017:

London: $346
Los Angeles: $59
New York: $125
Toronto: $163
Vancouver: $89
Dubai: $626
Sydney: $590
Melbourne: $582
Cape Town: $942
Hong Kong: $389

Other Tips on Moving to Sunnyvale

The costs and pricing above should give you a good idea of the cost of living in Sunnyvale but perhaps the following extra tips will make your move go smoothly.

11. Moving to Sunnyvale Alone

Moving anywhere can be a lonely experience, but moving to a new city can be rather daunting. Here are a few tips about settling in Sunnyvale.

Meetups: There are many Meetup groups to choose from. You will definitely find something to join which will help you to settle in. There are high tech, sports, arts, singles groups and many other groups to choose from.
Attend local events:There’s always lots going on in Sunnyvale. Have a look at TripAdvisor, Yelp, Facebook, Eventful and Silicon Valley Guide.

12.Moving to Sunnyvale with a Family

Sunnyvale has a lot to attract families. There are beaches and mountains close by plus many art, drama and social events.

New parents (or parents to be): There are free and paid antenatal classes and courses. Have a look at PAMF and Bay Area Birth Info.
Live in a family friendly area: Most of Sunnyvale is considered family friendly. There are excellent schools and family homes throughout the city. More than a third of all families in Sunnyvale have children, so the city is geared towards them. There are lots of many, all of which are well kept and parents feel able to let their kids play happily without too much supervision as they feel the city is safe.
Find things to do with the kids: Sunnyvale is fun place for kids to live. Have a look at the following sites to be inspired – Tripbuzz, Trekaroo and Yelp.

13. Moving to Sunnyvale for Work

Over 89% of the Sunnyvale work force are in white collar jobs which is way above the national average. Nearly 20% of them work in computer science and maths. 59% of the working population have at 4-year degree or higher, compared with the national average of 22%.

Here are a few things to consider when moving for work:

Salary:Salaries vary enormously depending which industry you are in. The costs we outlined above should give you a rough idea, how much more you’ll want to be making to make the move worthwhile. You can also check salary ranges on sites such as Glassdoor and Payscale.
How to find work: If you want to have a job lined up before you move to Sunnyvale, but aren’t sure where to begin, the following sites are good places to start:Monster, Indeed, Snagajob, and Simply Hired. You may also want to google recruiters in your industry, as they can often help land you some initial interviews as well.

14. Moving to Sunnyvale from Australia

There’s a large group of Australians living in Silicon Valley. It is estimated that there are 20,000 software engineers before you begin on other skills, so if you are thinking of joining them, here are a few things to consider.

Size comparison: If you compare the population size of Sunnyvale with a city in Australia, you would be looking at Cairns in Queensland. If you compare the population size of the whole of Silicon Valley with a city in Australia, then the closest would be a slightly larger version of Brisbane.
Join expat groups: There are a number of expat groups enabling you to meet fellow Aussies. Try Internations and Aussie Founders Network.

15. Moving to Sunnyvale from Canada

There are over 350,000 Canadians living and working in Silicon Valley so if you’re considering making the move from Canada here are a few things to consider.

Size comparison:If you compare the population size of Sunnyvale with the population size of a Canadian City, then the nearest would be Guelph, Ontario. If you look at the population size of the whole of Silicon Valley, the nearest sized city in Canada would be somewhere between Vancouver and Montreal.
Expat groups: Meeting up with fellow Canadians helps the moving process. Link up through sites such as Internations and Meetup.

16. Moving to Sunnyvale from the United Kingdom

There are many Brits living and working in Sunnyvale and Silicon Valley, if you would like to join them, here are a few things to consider.

Size comparison: If you look at the population size of Sunnyvale and compare it with a British city, then you would be looking at Middlesborough, If you compare the population size of Silicon Valley with the size of a city in the UK, then think of a city three times the size of Birmingham.
Expat groups: If you want to get together with others from the UK who are enjoying Sunnyvale and Silicon Valley, then go to Internations and Meetup.

Hopefully, the tips and costs above are helpful. If want to get started pricing out how much it will cost you to move to Sunnyvale you can start by comparing moving quotes here.

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