Climate
New York City logs 206 sunny days a year to San Francisco's 276 — San Francisco wins by 70. New York City also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.
New York City
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
San Francisco
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
New York City is $35/mo cheaperNew York City runs about $5,415/mo for a balanced lifestyle against San Francisco's $5,450/mo — New York City comes in $35 cheaper each month, roughly 1% less.
New York City
$5,415monthly · balanced
San Francisco
$5,450monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, San Francisco scores 4.0 vs New York City's 3.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on airport accessibility.
Culture
New York City's culture score of 4.8 sits well above San Francisco's 4.3, with the biggest gap on history museums.
Nature & Outdoors
San Francisco's nature & outdoors score of 4.5 sits well above New York City's 4.0, with the biggest gap on rock climbing.
Safety
New York City and San Francisco score neck-and-neck on safety (2.2 vs 2.2, 0–5 scale).
Career
New York City's career score of 5.0 sits well above San Francisco's 4.7.
Social & Community
New York City's social & community score of 4.3 sits well above San Francisco's 4.1, with the biggest gap on urban energy.
Food & Dining
New York City and San Francisco score neck-and-neck on food & dining (5.0 vs 5.0, 0–5 scale).
Family
On family, New York City scores 4.3 vs San Francisco's 3.9 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on universities.
Healthcare
New York City and San Francisco score neck-and-neck on healthcare (3.5 vs 3.5, 0–5 scale).
Air Quality
New York City averages 8.6 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus San Francisco's 7.5 µg/m³ (good) — San Francisco breathes ~12% cleaner air (1.1 µg/m³ lower).
New York City
San Francisco
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
New York City (14.2M) and San Francisco (4.7M) are 3.0x in population — New York City is the larger metro, San Francisco the smaller; on land area New York City spans roughly 1.9x more ground.
New York City is roughly 2.4x the scale of San Francisco
Combined population & area comparison
New York CitySan FranciscoCity Scale Rankings
New York City14.2M3.0xSan Francisco4.7M1xNew York City3,031 km²1.9xSan Francisco1,614 km²1xNew York City
San Francisco
Who Thrives Here
San Francisco is the stronger fit for the mountain seeker. Both cities work well for the career builder.
Also compared
Frequently asked about New York City vs San Francisco
▶Which is cheaper, New York City or San Francisco?
▶How does the climate compare between New York City and San Francisco?
▶Is New York City or San Francisco safer?
▶Should I move to New York City or San Francisco?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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