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→Columbus
Columbus is on the Chattahoochee River, with the longest urban whitewater course in the world (since 2013) running right through downtown for rafting and surfing waves. Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning) is the city's anchor. The Riverwalk stretches for miles. The downtown has come back nicely with restaurants and breweries. Smaller and friendlier than the city's industrial reputation suggests.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,264/mo
$2,206/mo less than San Jose (175%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$208k
$1.6M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,612/mo
Columbus has $2,524/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
177 days
106 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
39 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
2 days
days below 20°F per year
Columbus has 20 more days above 95°F each year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
47 / 100
23.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
1 routes
28 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
329k metro
San Jose has 2.7x more events per month than Columbus.
the verdict
4
San Jose
categories won
4
Columbus
categories won
San Jose wins on weather and lifestyle, Columbus wins on money. Dead even.
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