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→Fort Collins
Fort Collins is the home of New Belgium Brewing (Fat Tire's origin) and a thriving craft beer scene with more breweries than Boulder. Old Town's brick streets and historic storefronts are charming enough that they're said to have influenced Disney's Main Street USA designers. CSU keeps the energy young. The foothills rise right outside town, and Rocky Mountain National Park is an hour away. Quieter than Boulder, less expensive.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,971/mo
$1,499/mo less than San Jose (76%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$572k
$1.2M 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
$5,996/mo
Fort Collins has $1,908/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
11 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
44 days
days below 20°F per year
San Jose has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Fort Collins. Fort Collins drops below 20°F on 44 more days per year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
69 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
169 routes
140 more direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
371k metro
San Jose has 62.0x more events per month than Fort Collins.
the verdict
2
San Jose
categories won
6
Fort Collins
categories won
Fort Collins wins on money and lifestyle. San Jose has the edge on weather.
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