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→Springfield
Springfield is the birthplace of Route 66 (the road was officially named in a meeting here in 1926), Bass Pro Shops' world headquarters, and the gateway to the Ozarks. Wonders of Wildlife (next to the Bass Pro store) is genuinely one of the best aquariums in America. The city itself is friendly, affordable, and surprisingly leafy. Branson is 30 miles south for the lake-and-show experience.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,146/mo
$1,249/mo
$1,897/mo less than San Francisco (152%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.2M
$268k
$970k 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
$6,693/mo
Springfield has $2,281/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
170 days
142 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
20 days
days below 20°F per year
Springfield has 12 more days above 95°F each year than San Francisco. Springfield drops below 20°F on 20 more days per year than San Francisco.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
83 / 100
50 / 100
33.0 pts behind San Francisco
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
111 routes
9 routes
102 fewer direct routes than San Francisco
Metro size
Metro size
4.6M metro
491k metro
San Francisco has 16.1x more events per month than Springfield.
the verdict
5
San Francisco
categories won
4
Springfield
categories won
San Francisco wins on weather and lifestyle. Springfield has the edge on money.
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