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→Mobile
Mobile threw the first Mardi Gras in America (1703, predating New Orleans), and the city still celebrates it with the same parade-and-moon-pie energy. The historic district has wrought-iron balconies and live oaks dripping Spanish moss. Mobile Bay seafood (especially fried shrimp and crab claws) is the local star. It's Gulf Coast, French-Spanish-British-Creole layered, and chiller than its bigger neighbors.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,302/mo
$2,168/mo less than San Jose (167%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$194k
$1.6M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,615/mo
Mobile has $2,527/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
225 days
58 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
0 days
days below 20°F per year
San Jose has 16 more days above 95°F each year than Mobile.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
59 / 100
11.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
5 routes
24 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
412k metro
San Jose has 2.6x more events per month than Mobile.
the verdict
3
San Jose
categories won
5
Mobile
categories won
Mobile wins on money. San Jose has the edge on lifestyle.
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