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→Miami
Miami is Spanish before it's English, salsa before it's small talk, and a cortadito before it's a coffee. South Beach Art Deco glows pink at night, Wynwood is a city-sized mural, and the Cuban sandwiches in Little Havana could end fights. Summer is bath-warm ocean and ceiling fans turned up high, and October feels like everywhere else's perfect August. Bring linen.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$2,665/mo
$481/mo less than San Francisco (18%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$565k
$674k less than San Francisco
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,412/mo
$5,668/mo
Miami has $1,256/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
272 days
40 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
77 / 100
6.0 pts behind San Francisco
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
111 routes
167 routes
56 more direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
6.2M metro
San Francisco has 3.8x fewer events per month than Miami.
the verdict
2
San Francisco
categories won
5
Miami
categories won
Miami wins on money. San Francisco has the edge on weather.
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