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→Phoenix
Phoenix is sun, saguaros, and a valley so wide you can drive 45 minutes in a straight line and still be in greater Phoenix. The Sonoran Desert blooms wildly in spring, the monsoon storms in late summer are theatrical, and the hiking on Camelback or Piestewa Peak is a sunrise ritual. Pools and shaded patios are basically infrastructure, and the locals have the rhythm of a desert day dialed.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,739/mo
$1,731/mo less than San Jose (100%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$458k
$1.3M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
2.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,386/mo
Phoenix has $2,298/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
181 days
102 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
133 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Phoenix has 114 more days above 95°F each year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
66 / 100
4.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
91 routes
62 more direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
5.1M metro
San Jose has 3.2x fewer events per month than Phoenix.
the verdict
3
San Jose
categories won
5
Phoenix
categories won
Phoenix wins on money. San Jose has the edge on weather.
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