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→Dallas
Dallas is Stetsons next to skyscrapers, Tex-Mex with queso flowing freely, and a barbecue scene that quietly competes with Austin's. The arts district downtown is enormous and free to wander, while Bishop Arts and Deep Ellum bring the indie energy. Football is its own religion (high school, college, and Cowboys all year round). The bigness is real, and the city wears it well.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,647/mo
$1,823/mo less than San Jose (111%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$367k
$1.4M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,686/mo
Dallas has $2,598/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
171 days
112 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
40 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
2 days
days below 20°F per year
Dallas has 21 more days above 95°F each year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
57 / 100
13.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
190 routes
161 more direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
8.1M metro
San Jose has 7.1x fewer events per month than Dallas.
the verdict
3
San Jose
categories won
5
Dallas
categories won
Dallas wins on money. San Jose has the edge on weather.
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