$100k salary, packing up from Des Moines
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 each month than Des Moines ran you
A real premium for San Jose. Worth it only if the city itself is the whole point.
a quick ledger.
$3,470/mo
174% more expensive than Des Moines(vs $1,268/mo)
9.3%
$275/mo more in state tax than Des Moines
vs 6% in Des Moines
$4,088/mo
$2,477 less than Des Moines
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$1796k
500% more expensive than Des Moines
vs $300k in Des Moines
1.9M
vs 737k in Des Moines
field notes, weather & such.
283
pleasant days a year, in san jose.
Des Moines only manages 151 of those.
1.3× the events of Des Moines, and the calendar shows it.
70/100
27% higher than Des Moines
vs 55/100 in Des Moines
Closest outdoor draw: Pinnacles National Park, 69.2 mi.
95/100
22% higher than Des Moines
vs 78/100 in Des Moines
29
71% more than Des Moines
vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines
if san jose appeals, also worth a look:
compare san jose with:
