Head to Head

San Jose, CA vs Oakland, CA

San Jose leads with a Fun Score of 64, ahead by 1 point. Across 23 individual factors, San Jose wins 11 and Oakland wins 11, with 1 tied.

Factor wins — San Jose
11 of 23
Tied
1
Factor wins — Oakland
11 of 23
Factor San Jose, CA Oakland, CA
What lifts the score
Eats 54
79 Best
Drinks 29
64 Best
Coffee 66
83 Best
Live Music 35
80 Best
Star Power 63
80 Best
Outdoors 50 Best
42
Culture 29
73 Best
Events 57 Best
30
Sports 59 Best
27
Unique Hangouts 53
54 Best
City Vibe 90 Best
33
Climate 88
91 Best
Transit Quality 64
90 Best
Walkability 75
88 Best
Higher Education 35 Best
11
Bike & Micromobility 88 Best
82
What weighs it down (lower score = better)
Crime 46 Best
92
Traffic 83 Best
87
Air Quality 34
28 Best
Disaster Risk 86 Best
87
Weather Extremes 6 Best
7
Economic Strain 20 Best
53
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 →