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→Salisbury
Salisbury is the unofficial capital of Maryland's Eastern Shore, home to Perdue Farms' headquarters (yes, the chicken company), and a quick drive to Ocean City beaches. The Wicomico River runs past, the Salisbury Zoo (free) is a sleeper good time, and the surrounding Chesapeake Bay landscape is gorgeous. Slower-paced, water-oriented, and underrated.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$1,899/mo
$1,247/mo less than San Francisco (66%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$420k
$819k less than San Francisco
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
8.2%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,412/mo
$5,751/mo
Salisbury has $1,339/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
189 days
123 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
10 days
days below 20°F per year
Salisbury drops below 20°F on 10 more days per year than San Francisco.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
83 / 100
53 / 100
30.0 pts behind San Francisco
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
111 routes
2 routes
109 fewer direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
130k metro
San Francisco has 21.5x more events per month than Salisbury.
the verdict
4
San Francisco
categories won
4
Salisbury
categories won
San Francisco wins on weather and lifestyle, Salisbury wins on money. Dead even.
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