same $100k income, fresh start from Buffalo

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San Francisco, CA cityscape

next stop after buffalo

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

$2,060

more each month than Buffalo 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

129% more expensive than Buffalo(vs $1,374/mo)

02state income tax

9.3%

$287/mo more in state tax than Buffalo

vs 5.85% in Buffalo

03after rent

$4,412/mo

$2,060 less than Buffalo

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

04a house here

$1239k

343% more expensive than Buffalo

vs $280k in Buffalo

05metro size

4.6M

vs 1.2M in Buffalo

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

312

pleasant days a year, in san francisco.

Buffalo barely cracks 152 pleasant ones.

A month here packs 3.8× the events of Buffalo.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

83/100

26% higher than Buffalo

vs 66/100 in Buffalo

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

·walk score®

99/100

9% higher than Buffalo

vs 91/100 in Buffalo

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

111

455% more than Buffalo

vs 20 nonstops in Buffalo

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