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→Reno
Reno calls itself the Biggest Little City in the World and means it: casinos and neon, sure, but also a quietly cool downtown, a strong outdoor culture (Tahoe is 45 minutes south), and the Truckee River running right through the middle of everything. The University of Nevada keeps things young. Burning Man buses depart from here every August. Sunnier and drier than people expect.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,908/mo
$1,562/mo less than San Jose (82%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$574k
$1.2M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,425/mo
Reno has $2,337/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
201 days
82 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
4 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
28 days
days below 20°F per year
San Jose has 15 more days above 95°F each year than Reno. Reno drops below 20°F on 28 more days per year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
71 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
13 routes
16 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
565k metro
San Jose has 1.7x fewer events per month than Reno.
the verdict
3
San Jose
categories won
5
Reno
categories won
Reno wins on money. San Jose has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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