same $100k income, fresh start from Birmingham
changea dispatch from
san jose
CA
37.34°N
121.89°W
San Jose is Silicon Valley's anchor city, much bigger than San Francisco by population, and culturally underrated because everyone drives through it on the way somewhere else. The Vietnamese food scene (especially in Little Saigon) is one of the best in the country. The weather is impossibly mild, the Santa Cruz Mountains rise to the west, and the tech money funds a genuinely excellent restaurant scene.
the verdict
more expensive each month than Birmingham
San Jose doesn't pretend to be affordable. Move here for what San Jose is, not for what it leaves on your monthly ledger.
a quick ledger.
$3,470/mo
147% more expensive than Birmingham(vs $1,407/mo)
9.3%
$358/mo more in state tax than Birmingham
vs 5% in Birmingham
$4,088/mo
$2,422 less than Birmingham
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$1796k
589% more expensive than Birmingham
vs $261k in Birmingham
1.9M
vs 1.2M in Birmingham
field notes, weather & such.
283
pleasant days a year, in san jose.
Birmingham barely cracks 171 pleasant ones.
Birmingham hosts 1.5× more events.
70/100
15% higher than Birmingham
vs 61/100 in Birmingham
Closest outdoor draw: Pinnacles National Park, 69.2 mi.
95/100
20% higher than Birmingham
vs 79/100 in Birmingham
29
45% more than Birmingham
vs 20 nonstops in Birmingham
compare san jose with:
