01 · the cities
San Jose
San Jose is Silicon Valley's anchor city, much bigger than San Francisco by population, and culturally underrated because everyone drives through it on the way somewhere else. The Vietnamese food scene (especially in Little Saigon) is one of the best in the country. The weather is impossibly mild, the Santa Cruz Mountains rise to the west, and the tech money funds a genuinely excellent restaurant scene.
full dispatch→Chicago
Chicago is deep-dish for tourists, thin-crust tavern style for locals, and a hot dog that absolutely will not have ketchup on it. The L rumbles overhead, the lakefront stretches for 18 unbroken miles of beach and trail, and the architecture boat tour is the single best $50 you'll spend. Summer in Chicago might be the best summer in America. The improv comedy gene pool is unmatched.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$2,170/mo
$1,300/mo less than San Jose (60%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$365k
$1.4M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$5,751/mo
Chicago has $1,663/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
283 days
153 days
130 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
38 days
days below 20°F per year
San Jose has 18 more days above 95°F each year than Chicago. Chicago drops below 20°F on 38 more days per year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
70 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
217 routes
188 more direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
9.3M metro
San Jose has 20.9x fewer events per month than Chicago.
the verdict
2
San Jose
categories won
6
Chicago
categories won
Chicago wins on money and lifestyle. San Jose has the edge on weather.
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