with $100k coming in, swapping out of Chicago
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 premium over Chicago
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
60% more expensive than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)
9.3%
$363/mo more in state tax than Chicago
vs 4.95% in Chicago
$4,088/mo
$1,663 less than Chicago
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$1796k
392% more expensive than Chicago
vs $365k in Chicago
1.9M
vs 9.3M in Chicago
field notes, weather & such.
283
pleasant days a year, in san jose.
Chicago barely cracks 153 pleasant ones.
Lighter on events: Chicago packs 20.9× more into a month.
70/100
0% lower than Chicago
vs 70/100 in Chicago
Closest outdoor draw: Pinnacles National Park, 69.2 mi.
95/100
5% lower than Chicago
vs 100/100 in Chicago
29
87% fewer than Chicago
vs 217 nonstops in Chicago
same energy as san jose, different zip code:
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