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→Kansas City
Kansas City is barbecue (burnt ends are a local invention), jazz (the 18th and Vine district fed Charlie Parker and Count Basie), and fountains everywhere you turn. The city straddles two states and doesn't make a big deal out of it. The Plaza shopping district looks like Seville, which is delightfully odd for the Midwest. Friendly here means genuinely friendly.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$1,502/mo
$1,644/mo less than San Francisco (109%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$326k
$913k less than San Francisco
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,412/mo
$6,440/mo
Kansas City has $2,028/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
170 days
142 fewer than San Francisco
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
8 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
Kansas City has 8 more days above 95°F each year than San Francisco. Kansas City drops below 20°F on 26 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
43 routes
68 fewer direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
2.2M metro
San Francisco has 3.1x more events per month than Kansas City.
the verdict
5
San Francisco
categories won
4
Kansas City
categories won
San Francisco wins on weather and lifestyle. Kansas City has the edge on money.
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