Cost of Living in Morgan Hill, CA: Dated Numbers

Last updated: Oct 18, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles). Facts checked against the primary sources linked on this page; re-verify schedules, school assignment, and prices before deciding.

How much does it cost to live in Morgan Hill?

Housing is the number that drives everything else. The U.S. Census Bureau's QuickFacts for Morgan Hill (V2025, ACS 2020–2024, checked Oct 18, 2026) reports a median value of owner-occupied housing of $1,210,200, a median gross rent of $2,474 per month, and a median household income of $163,920. Those three figures — what homes are worth, what renters pay, and what households earn — frame every other budget line. Below we show what each figure does and does not mean, and how Morgan Hill compares with San Jose and Gilroy using the same Census vintage so the comparison is apples-to-apples.

What the Census numbers actually mean

QuickFacts housing figures come from the American Community Survey 2020–2024 five-year estimates. A median owner-occupied value is the midpoint of what residents reported their homes were worth across that period — it is not today's asking price, a listing index, or a forecast. The same caution applies to rent: median gross rent is the midpoint contract rent plus estimated utility costs for renter households surveyed in 2020–2024. Use these figures to size a budget and compare places on one consistent basis; use current listings and a lender's actual quote to price a specific move. Morgan Hill's other checked Census figures: population 45,625 (July 1, 2025 estimate), owner-occupied rate 71.5%, households 14,865, persons per household 3.02, and mean commute 33.5 minutes.

How does Morgan Hill compare with San Jose and Gilroy on cost?

Using the same QuickFacts release and ACS period for all three cities (checked Oct 18, 2026): San Jose's median owner-occupied value was $1,233,200 — $23,000 above Morgan Hill's — with median gross rent of $2,669 ($195 above Morgan Hill) and median household income of $146,427. Gilroy's median value was $1,027,400 — $182,800 below Morgan Hill — with median gross rent of $2,301 ($173 below) and median household income of $133,107. In other words, on Census medians Morgan Hill sits close to San Jose on housing value and below it on rent, while Gilroy is the lower-median option on both value and rent in exchange for a longer northbound commute leg (see our Morgan Hill vs Gilroy comparison for the commute side of that trade).

These are citywide medians. A specific home's price depends on its size, age, condition, lot, and exact location, and current market prices move faster than five-year survey data. That is precisely why the medians are useful for a first budget and insufficient for an offer.

What does a weekly grocery run look like?

In practice, a normal weekly shop can be covered in town: two Safeway locations, a Nob Hill, and a Grocery Outlet are the routine anchors, and Whole Foods delivery reaches Morgan Hill for items those stores do not cover. Put your own stores in the worksheet below and time the round trip from a specific address before you count “close to groceries” as a plus for that address. A Sprouts Farmers Market is announced for 2027: the Morgan Hill Times (Feb. 26, 2026) reported a 23,299 sq. ft. Sprouts slated to open in 2027 at the Poppy Ranch center, Cochrane Road and De Paul Drive, with Regency Centers and Sprouts targeting a fall 2027 opening — count it as coming in 2027, and check Sprouts’ official store list for the exact opening date as it approaches.

What should I budget beyond housing?

We publish only numbers we can tie to a primary source, so this section is a worksheet rather than a set of invented local averages. Fill in each line with a quote for your household:

• Commute: your measured door-to-door time (see our commute guide), plus fuel or transit fare and parking at your workplace. Caltrain and VTA publish current fares — check them directly rather than relying on any guide's figure.
• Utilities and services: the City of Morgan Hill's Welcome New Residents page points new households to City water service and online bill pay, PG&E for power monitoring, and Recology South Valley (inside city limits) or GreenWaste (unincorporated areas) for garbage and recycling. Ask the seller or landlord for a recent actual bill for the specific address.
• Homeowner carrying costs if you buy: property tax, insurance, any HOA dues shown in the listing or HOA documents, and maintenance. The Census puts median monthly owner costs without a mortgage at $1,055 — a reminder that the mortgage payment is not the whole cost of owning.
• Everyday costs: groceries, childcare or school-related costs, and services vary by household, not by city boundary in any primary dataset we can cite — get local quotes instead of trusting a national cost-of-living calculator's single index number.

A simple way to build your Morgan Hill budget

1. Start with housing using a current listing or lease quote, sanity-checked against the Census medians above.
2. Add the Census “owner costs without a mortgage” concept — tax, insurance, utilities — using the specific property's tax record and insurance quote.
3. Add your commute costed at your real departure pattern, not an average.
4. Leave a contingency line. Five-year survey medians will not match your month-one bills exactly.

Fill-in monthly budget worksheet

Use quotes for a specific address, not a city average. Start with the City of Morgan Hill’s Welcome New Residents page for water, power, and garbage/recycling providers at that address, then record who quoted each line and when.

Before you offer: the cost packet

1. Ask for a recent utility bill for the specific address, or the landlord’s written statement of what the lease includes.
2. Get insurance and lender quotes for that property — not calculator defaults.
3. Confirm HOA dues and what they cover from HOA documents, if any.
4. Re-run the worksheet with your real commute pattern from our commute log.

Related: rent vs. buy over the same period · Morgan Hill vs. San Jose · Morgan Hill vs. Gilroy · Cost of Living pillar.

Sources (checked Oct 18, 2026): Morgan Hill Times — Sprouts proposed in north Morgan Hill (Feb. 26, 2026) · U.S. Census QuickFacts — Morgan Hill (V2025; ACS 2020–2024) · U.S. Census QuickFacts — San Jose (V2025; ACS 2020–2024) · U.S. Census QuickFacts — Gilroy (V2025; ACS 2020–2024) · City of Morgan Hill — Welcome New Residents (checked Oct 18, 2026). See also: Cost of Living pillar.