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's life revolves around Fort Liberty (recently renamed from Fort Bragg), one of the largest military installations in the world. The Cape Fear River runs past, the airborne and special operations museum is excellent, and the food scene reflects the international military families that cycle through. Southern, military, and friendly. Quieter than the big NC cities.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,477/mo
$1,993/mo less than San Jose (135%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$258k
$1.5M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,481/mo
Fayetteville has $2,393/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
193 days
90 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
14 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
3 days
days below 20°F per year
San Jose has 5 more days above 95°F each year than Fayetteville.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
51 / 100
19.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
4 routes
25 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
392k metro
San Jose has 4.1x more events per month than Fayetteville.
the verdict
3
San Jose
categories won
5
Fayetteville
categories won
Fayetteville wins on money. San Jose has the edge on lifestyle.
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