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 the birthplace of Route 66 (the road was officially named in a meeting here in 1926), Bass Pro Shops' world headquarters, and the gateway to the Ozarks. Wonders of Wildlife (next to the Bass Pro store) is genuinely one of the best aquariums in America. The city itself is friendly, affordable, and surprisingly leafy. Branson is 30 miles south for the lake-and-show experience.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,470/mo
$1,249/mo
$2,221/mo less than San Jose (178%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$268k
$1.5M less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$6,693/mo
Springfield has $2,605/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
170 days
113 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
12 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
20 days
days below 20°F per year
San Jose has 7 more days above 95°F each year than Springfield. Springfield drops below 20°F on 20 more days per year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
50 / 100
20.0 pts behind San Jose
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
9 routes
20 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
491k metro
San Jose has 3.9x 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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