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→San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo (SLO to locals) sits halfway between LA and San Francisco on the central coast, with Cal Poly students, gorgeous wine country (Edna Valley and Paso Robles nearby), and a Thursday night farmers market that takes over downtown. It's been called the happiest city in America (multiple studies, Oprah included), and the vibe really does back that up. Bubblegum Alley is exactly what it sounds like. Mellow and beautiful.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$3,095/mo
$375/mo less than San Jose (12%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$934k
$862k less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$4,463/mo
San Luis Obispo has $375/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
303 days
20 more than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
14 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 5 more days above 95°F each year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
68 / 100
2.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
3 routes
26 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
282k metro
San Jose has 6.2x more events per month than San Luis Obispo.
the verdict
2
San Jose
categories won
5
San Luis Obispo
categories won
San Luis Obispo wins on money and weather. San Jose has the edge on lifestyle.
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