$100k salary, packing up from Boulder
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
the monthly cost of moving past Boulder
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
57% more expensive than Boulder(vs $2,216/mo)
9.3%
$408/mo more in state tax than Boulder
vs 4.4% in Boulder
$4,088/mo
$1,663 less than Boulder
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$1796k
129% more expensive than Boulder
vs $783k in Boulder
1.9M
vs 327k in Boulder
field notes, weather & such.
283
pleasant days a year, in san jose.
Boulder only logs 178 pleasant days.
Nights and weekends fill up faster. 10.3× more on the calendar than Boulder.
70/100
11% lower than Boulder
vs 79/100 in Boulder
Closest outdoor draw: Pinnacles National Park, 69.2 mi.
95/100
13% higher than Boulder
vs 84/100 in Boulder
29
83% fewer than Boulder
vs 169 nonstops in Boulder
if san jose appeals, also worth a look:
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