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→Fayetteville
Fayetteville is the University of Arkansas, Razorback football (call those hogs), and the Ozark mountains rising right outside town. The Walmart and Tyson HQ are in nearby Bentonville, which has reshaped the region's economy. The downtown square farmers market is one of the country's best. The food scene has grown up fast. Surprising for the region.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,606/mo
$1,864/mo less than San Jose (116%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$367k
$1.4M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.4%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,361/mo
Fayetteville has $2,273/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
170 days
113 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
16 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
14 days
days below 20°F per year
Fayetteville drops below 20°F on 14 more days per year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
64 / 100
6.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
14 routes
15 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
590k metro
San Jose has 7.8x more events per month than Fayetteville.
the verdict
4
San Jose
categories won
4
Fayetteville
categories won
San Jose wins on weather and lifestyle, Fayetteville wins on money. Dead even.
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