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→Provo
Provo is BYU and the Mormon culture's center of gravity, with a downtown that's quieter than most college towns (no Saturday football beer crowds here). The Wasatch Mountains rise right behind it, with Sundance ski resort 30 minutes up the canyon. Provo Canyon and Bridal Veil Falls are summer go-tos. The tech scene (Qualtrics, Domo) has reshaped the local economy. Beautiful in a calm, ordered way.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$1,743/mo
$1,403/mo less than San Francisco (80%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$559k
$680k 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
$6,203/mo
Provo has $1,791/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
171 days
141 fewer than San Francisco
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
12 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
44 days
days below 20°F per year
Provo has 12 more days above 95°F each year than San Francisco. Provo drops below 20°F on 44 more days per year than San Francisco.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
83 / 100
81 / 100
2.0 pts behind San Francisco
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
111 routes
91 routes
20 fewer direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
733k metro
San Francisco has 258.0x more events per month than Provo.
the verdict
5
San Francisco
categories won
4
Provo
categories won
San Francisco wins on weather and lifestyle. Provo has the edge on money.
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