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→Springfield
Springfield is where basketball was invented in 1891 (the Basketball Hall of Fame is right here), and where Dr. Seuss grew up (there's a sculpture garden downtown). The city's old industrial buildings are slowly coming back, and the surrounding Pioneer Valley is one of the prettiest stretches in New England. UMass is just up the road. Quieter than Boston, much cheaper.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,913/mo
$1,557/mo less than San Jose (81%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$373k
$1.4M 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
$6,004/mo
Springfield has $1,916/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
147 days
136 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
47 days
days below 20°F per year
San Jose has 18 more days above 95°F each year than Springfield. Springfield drops below 20°F on 47 more days per 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
26 routes
3 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
460k metro
San Jose has 10.3x more events per month than Springfield.
the verdict
4
San Jose
categories won
5
Springfield
categories won
Springfield wins on money. San Jose has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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