on $100k a year, leaving Albany

change
San Francisco, CA cityscape

instead of albany

San Francisco

ca · metro 4.6M

photo: Andrew Whitmore / unsplash

a dispatch from

san francisco

CA

37.77°N

122.42°W

San Francisco is hills, fog, Mission burritos the size of forearms, and pastel Victorians stacked like dominoes. Karl the Fog has his own Instagram, the cable cars are still mechanically pulled by cables running under the street, and the Pacific shows up at the end of every west-bound avenue. The food is wildly good, the views are theatrical, and yes, you'll get cardio just walking to the corner store.

metro4.6M

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$1,791

more each month than Albany ran you

San Francisco doesn't pretend to be affordable. Move here for what San Francisco is, not for what it leaves on your monthly ledger.
landable, recorded on the san francisco entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$3,146/mo

91% more expensive than Albany(vs $1,643/mo)

02state income tax

9.3%

$287/mo more in state tax than Albany

vs 5.85% in Albany

03after rent

$4,412/mo

$1,791 less than Albany

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$1239k

243% more expensive than Albany

vs $361k in Albany

05metro size

4.6M

vs 905k in Albany

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

312

pleasant days a year, in san francisco.

Albany barely cracks 147 pleasant ones.

9.9× the events of Albany, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

83/100

15% higher than Albany

vs 72/100 in Albany

Closest outdoor draw: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 1.5 mi.

·walk score®

99/100

9% higher than Albany

vs 91/100 in Albany

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

111

484% more than Albany

vs 19 nonstops in Albany

04 · see also

neighbors of san francisco on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

san diego

$256/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

honolulu

$162/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

los angeles

$247/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare san francisco with:

San DiegoHonoluluLos Angeles