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→Green Bay
Green Bay is the Packers, full stop: the smallest market in the NFL, and the only community-owned team in major American pro sports. Lambeau Field tours run year-round. The city itself is small, friendly, and built on the bay of Green Bay (yes, the bay is also named Green Bay). Tailgating is functionally a state holiday. Hot cocoa, brats on the grill, and stadium energy carry the winters.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,122/mo
$2,348/mo less than San Jose (209%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$340k
$1.5M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
6.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,689/mo
Green Bay has $2,601/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
146 days
137 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
75 days
days below 20°F per year
San Jose has 19 more days above 95°F each year than Green Bay. Green Bay drops below 20°F on 75 more days per year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
73 / 100
3.0 pts ahead of San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
4 routes
25 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
332k metro
San Jose has 10.3x more events per month than Green Bay.
the verdict
3
San Jose
categories won
6
Green Bay
categories won
Green Bay wins on money. San Jose has the edge on weather.
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