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→Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids has won Beer City USA multiple times, hosts ArtPrize (one of the world's largest open art competitions every fall), and built itself on furniture (Steelcase, Herman Miller). The Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park is a sleeper world-class attraction. Downtown is walkable, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous in autumn, and Lake Michigan beaches are 30 minutes west. Quietly excellent.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$1,620/mo
$1,526/mo less than San Francisco (94%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$353k
$886k less than San Francisco
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,412/mo
$6,359/mo
Grand Rapids has $1,947/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
151 days
161 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
50 days
days below 20°F per year
Grand Rapids drops below 20°F on 50 more days per year than San Francisco.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
83 / 100
56 / 100
27.0 pts behind San Francisco
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
111 routes
20 routes
91 fewer direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
1.2M metro
San Francisco has 3.7x more events per month than Grand Rapids.
the verdict
4
San Francisco
categories won
4
Grand Rapids
categories won
San Francisco wins on weather and lifestyle, Grand Rapids wins on money. Dead even.
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