All tools / Turnover costs / San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Apartment turnover cost in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
A typical 2-bedroom apartment turnover in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara runs about $1,419–$4,596 (expected $2,409). San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara is one of the costlier turnover markets, 23% above the national figure of $1,960.
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- Same scenario, nationally
- $1,960
- California median
- $2,189
- Data
- BLS OEWS May 2025
What a turnover costs in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, by unit size
Expected cost of a make-ready turn for five common unit types, under three move-out conditions. The typical column also shows the likely range.
| Unit | Light | Typical | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio1 bath | $985 | $1,734$966 to $3,464 | $4,644 |
| 1 bedroom1 bath | $985 | $1,994$1,156 to $3,917 | $5,960 |
| 2 bedroom1 bath | $1,054 | $2,409$1,419 to $4,596 | $7,463 |
| 3 bedroom2 bath | $1,193 | $2,994$1,790 to $5,615 | $9,321 |
| 3 bedroom house2 bath | $1,253 | $3,398$2,078 to $6,359 | $10,830 |
- LightMove-out in good shape: a few nail holes and scuffs, a dirty range and refrigerator, one bent blind.
- TypicalA full repaint, spot-treated carpet stains, a hole in an interior door, bent blinds, torn screens, dirty grout, range and refrigerator.
- HeavyPet-damaged carpet replaced, many wall holes and a full repaint, heavy-soil cleaning, odor treatment, a trash-out, a replaced door, missing keys and damaged cabinet doors (plus yard debris for the house).
Every scenario also carries the standard turn baseline: cleaning by bedroom and bathroom, HVAC filter, alarm test, bulbs, rekeying the exterior locks, a pest inspection and the final punch walk. Standard profile, property-manager vendor pricing, built in 2005, typical unit sizes assumed.
Local labor by trade
Every trade with local wage data is at or above the national median in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: 13 of 13 run higher, from 17% above for pest control to 60% above for plumbing.
Cheaper than national
No trade is below the national median in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara.
Pricier than national
- Plumbing60% above
- Locksmith45% above
- Electrical44% above
Index is the local median hourly wage divided by the national median for the same occupations. Only the labor share of each price is scaled; materials are not.
| Trade | Index | Versus national median |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbinglicensed plumbing work | 1.60 | 60% above (held at the edge of the 0.70 to 1.60 band) |
| Locksmithrekeying and keys | 1.45 | 45% above |
| Electricallicensed electrical work | 1.44 | 44% above |
| Window glassglass replacement | 1.44 | 44% above |
| Flooringcarpet and plank installation | 1.42 | 42% above |
| Drywalldrywall visit charges | 1.35 | 35% above * |
| HVACservice visits | 1.35 | 35% above |
| Cleaningturn cleans and carpet cleaning | 1.27 | 27% above |
| Handyman and maintenancesmall repairs, blinds, alarms, final walk | 1.27 | 27% above |
| Paintingrepaints and touch-up | 1.25 | 25% above |
| Yard and landscapingmowing and yard cleanup | 1.23 | 23% above |
| Appliance repairappliance repair and install | 1.21 | 21% above |
| Hauling and trash-outtrash-out and bulky items | 1.17 | 17% above |
| Pest controlinspection and treatment | 1.17 | 17% above |
* Does not scale any task price. It only sets the visit minimum, so it is left out of the comparisons above.
Unit prices for common make-ready tasks in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
What one unit of each task costs here, before any vendor visit minimum. Materials are included.
| Task | Low | Expected | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repaint all wallsper floor sq ft | $0.67 | $1.03 | $1.70 |
| Carpet replacement with padper sq ft | $2.68 | $3.86 | $5.95 |
| Standard turn clean, kitchen and living areasper unit | $69.11 | $100.52 | $150.78 |
| Rekey a lock cylinderper cylinder | $21.75 | $36.25 | $65.25 |
| Trash-out and haul-awayper cu yd | $35.10 | $46.80 | $70.20 |
| Drywall patch, doorknob-size holeeach | $76.20 | $139.70 | $254.00 |
| Replace window blindseach | $19.30 | $40.86 | $107.83 |
| Replace a smoke alarmeach | $23.64 | $39.07 | $91.99 |
| Replace an HVAC filtereach | $12.45 | $24.51 | $53.02 |
How San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara compares
It ranks 2nd of 28 areas in California by cost (1 is the most expensive). A typical 2-bedroom turn there ranges from $1,878 in Visalia to $2,425 in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, with a median of $2,189. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara is 10% above it. Nationally the same scenario comes to $1,960.
| Area | Typical 2 bedroom | Versus national |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $2,425 | +24% |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $2,409 | +23% |
| Vallejo | $2,336 | +19% |
| Napa | $2,318 | +18% |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $2,297 | +17% |
| Hanford-Corcoran | $2,278 | +16% |
| 21 more areas not shown | ||
| Visalia | $1,878 | -4% |
| National figure | $1,960 | baseline |
Typical 2-bedroom turn, expected cost. Areas are ordered from most to least expensive within the state.
Notes for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
- Older buildings. Rental units built before 1978 need lead-safe work practices when paint is disturbed (EPA RRP). For the typical 2-bedroom scenario that adds about $1,375 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, taking the expected total from $2,409 to $3,784. Enter the year built in the estimator to include it.
- Capped indexes. The local wage ratio for plumbing fell outside the 0.70 to 1.60 band we allow and was held at the edge, to keep one odd wage sample from distorting a whole estimate.
- ZIP codes. The estimator maps ZIP prefixes 943xx, 950xx, 951xx to this area. ZIP lookup works at the 3-digit level, so a ZIP at the edge of San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara may be priced at a neighbouring area.
- Price level. Figures assume a property manager buying turns from local vendors (the estimator's default). A one-off owner hiring a single contractor typically pays more; a portfolio contract pays less.
Method and data
Every figure was computed by the same engine behind the free estimator and the API (ruleset pt-2026.10.3). National unit prices from published cost guides and bids are scaled by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics wage index for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area (OEWS May 2025). These are estimate ranges for budgeting, not quotes (read the disclaimer). How the estimate works.
We keep an anonymized record of estimates (ZIP3, unit size, findings and totals; never your notes, address, IP or contact details) to improve accuracy.
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