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→Mobile
Mobile threw the first Mardi Gras in America (1703, predating New Orleans), and the city still celebrates it with the same parade-and-moon-pie energy. The historic district has wrought-iron balconies and live oaks dripping Spanish moss. Mobile Bay seafood (especially fried shrimp and crab claws) is the local star. It's Gulf Coast, French-Spanish-British-Creole layered, and chiller than its bigger neighbors.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$1,302/mo
$1,844/mo less than San Francisco (142%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$194k
$1.0M less than San Francisco
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,412/mo
$6,615/mo
Mobile has $2,203/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
225 days
87 fewer than San Francisco
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
3 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
59 / 100
24.0 pts behind San Francisco
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
111 routes
5 routes
106 fewer direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
412k metro
San Francisco has 10.8x more events per month than Mobile.
the verdict
3
San Francisco
categories won
4
Mobile
categories won
Mobile wins on money. San Francisco has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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