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→Lubbock
Lubbock is Texas Tech, Buddy Holly's hometown (the museum downtown is a delight), and the heart of West Texas cotton country. The flatness goes on forever, the sunsets are huge, and the wide sky makes every night feel like a planetarium. The food scene leans BBQ and Tex-Mex. The Llano Estacado wine region is right outside town. Friendly and quietly cool.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,384/mo
$2,086/mo less than San Jose (151%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$211k
$1.6M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,949/mo
Lubbock has $2,861/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
186 days
97 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
61 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
7 days
days below 20°F per year
Lubbock has 42 more days above 95°F each year than San Jose. Lubbock drops below 20°F on 7 more days per year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
5 / 100
65.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
7 routes
22 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
360k metro
San Jose has 7.8x more events per month than Lubbock.
the verdict
5
San Jose
categories won
4
Lubbock
categories won
San Jose wins on weather and lifestyle. Lubbock has the edge on money.
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