$100k salary, packing up from Birmingham

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San Francisco, CA cityscape

next stop after birmingham

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

$2,098

the monthly cost of moving past Birmingham

San Francisco costs noticeably more than Birmingham. You'd be paying for San Francisco itself, not for breathing room around it.
landable, recorded on the san francisco entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$3,146/mo

124% more expensive than Birmingham(vs $1,407/mo)

02state income tax

9.3%

$358/mo more in state tax than Birmingham

vs 5% in Birmingham

03after rent

$4,412/mo

$2,098 less than Birmingham

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

04a house here

$1239k

375% more expensive than Birmingham

vs $261k in Birmingham

05metro size

4.6M

vs 1.2M in Birmingham

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

312

pleasant days a year, in san francisco.

Birmingham only manages 171 of those.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 2.9× more on the calendar than Birmingham.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

83/100

36% higher than Birmingham

vs 61/100 in Birmingham

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

·walk score®

99/100

25% higher than Birmingham

vs 79/100 in Birmingham

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

111

455% more than Birmingham

vs 20 nonstops in Birmingham

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as san francisco:

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