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→Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 88 cities pretending to be one, connected by freeways and a shared love of really good tacos. Every neighborhood is its own scene: surfers in Venice, the Korean grandmas of K-town, mountains rising behind Pasadena, Persian rugs in Westwood. The light at golden hour is so good it makes Instagram filters jealous. Roll the windows down at golden hour, put on a playlist, and let the city stretch out.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$2,899/mo
$247/mo less than San Francisco (9%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$1.0M
$209k less than San Francisco
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,412/mo
$4,659/mo
Los Angeles has $247/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
283 days
29 fewer than San Francisco
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
19 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Los Angeles has 19 more days above 95°F each year than San Francisco.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
83 / 100
67 / 100
16.0 pts behind San Francisco
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
111 routes
150 routes
39 more direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
12.8M metro
San Francisco has 1.3x fewer events per month than Los Angeles.
the verdict
3
San Francisco
categories won
4
Los Angeles
categories won
Los Angeles wins on money. San Francisco has the edge on weather.
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