Deciding where to live can be an intimidating affair considering that where you live affects your life in very integral ways from where you work to how you are governed and the opportunities available to you.
For most people, the process is not quite academic or wholly intentional. Where they end up settling down and calling home is usually a consequence of circumstance. It happens rather organically with little interference.
In many instances, the city where we call home for the foreseeable future is dependent on the path that your job or career takes. It dictates where you live and eventually this arrangement gets cemented in your life story as though you consciously chose but you did not.
In other instances, many choose to settle close to home. Less adventurous people tend to stay close to home or close to the familiar while the adventurous souls choose to venture further and explore what appears more alien and therefore more enticing and exciting.
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The Seattle Vs San Francisco:
Even the adventurous ones among us rely on external factors to guide such choices.
Fewer of our species assess and examine the pros and cons of living in different regions and enable themselves to be entirely untethered by personal, professional, or vocational ties.
This is difficult because of the uncertainty involved and the likelihood that one will struggle and sometimes fail to survive without a job, family, marriage, scholarship, or passion. That said, some live by will and choose a city based on its enrichment. This article may help you choose between Seattle and San Francisco.
Seattle Vs San Francisco: Which is the better city to live in?
When choosing which city to live in, your personal preferences and personality will heavily influence your decision. Regardless, some of the factors you should look into include:
Cost of living
Everything from rent to food to commute and apparel costs money and in both of these cities the cost of getting by is well above the national average.
San Francisco is, however, much more expensive to live in than Seattle and for anyone with a family to consider the cheaper, though not cheap, cost of living in Seattle is a better alternative to the much larger expense of living in San Francisco.
Employment opportunities in your field
Seattle vs. San Francisco, City life offers more job and career prospects than rural life. The job markets in both locations are strong, but your skills, specialization, and education will decide your success.
Tech, retail, and STEM companies are in Seattle. Seattle is America’s most educated city because these require the best and brightest.
These corporations’ combined employing power means jobs, steady earnings, and high pay make Seattle the better city for this career.
All kinds of cultures collide in San Francisco, which fosters the growth of just about every sector, including entertainment, education, retail, fashion, transport, food and beverage, apparel, real estate, construction, auto, housing, and many others. Unemployment is more prevalent in San Francisco, however than in Seattle.
Transport and ease of commute
Moving to a new city requires planning for job and transportation. Seattle and San Francisco have great transport networks that can accommodate the expanding demands of a career-focused populace, so this is not an issue.
Public transportation, from cable cars to cabs and trains, is cheaper and easier in San Francisco, so you rarely need a car. San Francisco was constructed to handle heavy foot traffic, making it a “walkable” metropolis.
Crime rate
San Francisco has a higher crime rate than Seattle due to higher unemployment, a large homeless population, and a more metropolitan demographic, which fosters gangs, cultural rifts, and anti-social delinquency.
The nightlife fuels drink and drug misuse, which leads to mischief and crime. Seattle has a high crime rate but a lower rate than San Francisco.
Drug use and alcohol use associated to a dynamic entertainment scene are factors, but a strong upper-middle class that earns well and a business culture that does not condone organized crime keep the crime rate low.
Weather and Climate
Seattle is known as the rainy city but this is a misnomer since it receives less rainfall cumulatively compared to some cities such as Hawaii which many associate with sun and sand.
Seattle is cloudy and for more than half the year, the city is covered in a grey of precipitation and drizzle making it more of a gloomy city than a rainy one.
If you want a friendlier, warm, and fun climate to live in, go for san Francisco. The climate remains within a sunny warm and minimally humid range almost all year round.
Culture and entertainment
While both of these cities are metropolitan and harbor mixed populations, San Francisco is definitely a crucible of not only populations and divergent races but a melting pot of cultures, divergent ideologies, movements, politics, science, artistry, creativity, and sporting talent.
For a richer experience, life in San Francisco is the way to go. The city will challenge, inspire and expand the recesses of your foundational knowledge as well as entertain your curiosity.
The choice is yours though this is not an exhaustive account of all there is to know about these two cities.
