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→Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach is the Grand Strand's anchor, with 60 miles of beach, more than 80 mini golf courses (it might be the mini golf capital of America), and a boardwalk packed with arcades and pancake houses. Calabash-style fried seafood is a thing. It's a family beach town, full stop, with affordable oceanfront and easy access to Charleston a few hours south.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$1,727/mo
$1,419/mo less than San Francisco (82%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$361k
$878k less than San Francisco
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
6.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,412/mo
$6,065/mo
Myrtle Beach has $1,653/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
249 days
63 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
58 / 100
25.0 pts behind San Francisco
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
111 routes
23 routes
88 fewer direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
397k metro
San Francisco has 11.2x more events per month than Myrtle Beach.
the verdict
3
San Francisco
categories won
4
Myrtle Beach
categories won
Myrtle Beach wins on money. San Francisco has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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