Head to Head

Oakland, CA vs San Jose, CA

Oakland leads with a Fun Score of 67, ahead by 3 points. Across 23 individual factors, Oakland wins 10 and San Jose wins 12, with 1 tied.

Factor wins — Oakland
10 of 23
Tied
1
Factor wins — San Jose
12 of 23
Factor Oakland, CA San Jose, CA
What lifts the score
Eats 80 Best
53
Drinks 65 Best
30
Coffee 83 Best
65
Live Music 72 Best
37
Star Power 80 Best
62
Outdoors 43
51 Best
Culture 74 Best
29
Events 31
57 Best
Sports 53
58 Best
Unique Hangouts 53
59 Best
City Vibe 59
92 Best
Climate 91 Best
88
Transit Quality 90 Best
64
Walkability 88 Best
75
Higher Education 11
35 Best
Bike & Micromobility 84
89 Best
What weighs it down (lower score = better)
Crime 92
46 Best
Traffic 87
83 Best
Air Quality 26 Best
43
Disaster Risk 87
86 Best
Weather Extremes 7
6 Best
Economic Strain 60
26 Best
Going-Out Cost 82
82

Scores are 0–100 percentile ranks. For drawback factors (crime, traffic, etc.) a lower number is better — the Best badge marks whichever city has less. Full methodology →