on $100k a year, leaving San Francisco
changea dispatch from
buffalo
NY
42.89°N
78.88°W
Buffalo invented the wing (Anchor Bar, 1964, midnight, blue cheese, celery, not negotiable) and that should tell you most of what you need to know about the city's spirit. The Bills Mafia jumps through tables in subzero parking lots. Niagara Falls is 20 minutes away. The architecture (Sullivan, Wright, Olmsted parks) is genuinely world-class. The snow is part of the local mythology and the locals wear it proudly.
in our guides
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Best mid-sized US cities
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Best cities to leave New York for
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Best affordable coastal cities
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Best cities to leave Boston for
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Best cities to leave Nashville for
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Affordable alternatives to Nashville
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Affordable alternatives to Boise
read the guidethe verdict
lighter monthly cost than San Francisco
Buffalo runs on a fraction of San Francisco's budget. Same paycheck, real lifestyle upgrade.
a quick ledger.
$1,374/mo
56% cheaper than San Francisco(vs $3,146/mo)
5.85%
$287/mo less in state tax than San Francisco
vs 9.3% in San Francisco
$6,472/mo
$2,060 more than San Francisco
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$280k
77% cheaper than San Francisco
vs $1239k in San Francisco
1.2M
vs 4.6M in San Francisco
field notes, weather & such.
152
pleasant days a year, in buffalo.
San Francisco gets 312 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter asks for something in return: 42 days under 20° here, 0 in San Francisco.
San Francisco hosts 3.8× more events.
66/100
20% lower than San Francisco
vs 83/100 in San Francisco
Closest outdoor draw: Darien Lakes State Park, 23.9 mi.
91/100
8% lower than San Francisco
vs 99/100 in San Francisco
20
82% fewer than San Francisco
vs 111 nonstops in San Francisco
neighbors of buffalo on the map of tradeoffs:
compare buffalo with:
