San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, is the most expensive metro area in the US.

San Jose is the bona fide capital of Silicon Valley.

About one-quarter of households earn over $200,000 a year, but that still may not be enough to buy a median-priced home.

Meanwhile, an affordable housing shortage has left thousands of working San Jose residents homeless.

Outsiders may consider San Francisco synonymous with Silicon Valley, but locals know the epicenter of tech culture is San Jose.

The metro area defined by the US Census as San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara is the proverbial heart of Silicon Valley — and the most expensive place to live in the US. Goods and services are about 27% more expensive than the national average in San Jose, and the median home sale price is over $1 million.

But San Jose isn't all engineers and programmers flush with cash (or stock options). A dire affordable housing shortage has left teachers, landscapers, security officers, and thousands of minimum-wage workers virtually homeless.

Here's a look inside San Jose: