01 · the cities
San Francisco
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.
full dispatch→Cape Coral
Cape Coral has over 400 miles of navigable canals, more than any city in the world, which means many homes literally have boat docks in the backyard. It's a planned community that grew up around water, with easy access to the Caloosahatchee River and the Gulf. The boating, fishing, and manatee-watching are the main events. It's flat, sunny, and built for waterfront life.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$1,859/mo
$1,287/mo less than San Francisco (69%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$355k
$884k less than San Francisco
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,412/mo
$6,474/mo
Cape Coral has $2,062/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
312 days
250 days
62 fewer than San Francisco
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
San Francisco edges ahead on pleasant days, but both cities have comparable comfort overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
83 / 100
55 / 100
28.0 pts behind San Francisco
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
111 routes
33 routes
78 fewer direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
835k metro
the verdict
3
San Francisco
categories won
4
Cape Coral
categories won
Cape Coral wins on money. San Francisco has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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