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→Lancaster
Lancaster is the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country, with horse-drawn buggies on rural roads and the Central Market (the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country, since the 1730s). The food scene is sneaky-strong, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous, and the city's downtown has come back nicely. Whoopie pies, shoofly pies, and sticky buns are mandatory.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,517/mo
$1,953/mo less than San Jose (129%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$384k
$1.4M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,561/mo
Lancaster has $2,473/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
158 days
125 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
25 days
days below 20°F per year
San Jose has 16 more days above 95°F each year than Lancaster. Lancaster drops below 20°F on 25 more days per year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
63 / 100
7.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
1 routes
28 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
559k metro
San Jose has 4.1x more events per month than Lancaster.
the verdict
4
San Jose
categories won
5
Lancaster
categories won
Lancaster wins on money. San Jose has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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