HOUSING GUIDE | Where to live post-Penn: Philly, New York, D.C. or San Fran?

With the job search heating up for most seniors, the decision about where to live next year has come front and center. Here’s a guide to help seniors compare the perks and pits of living in the post-grad hotspots.

Pros of living in San Fran:

1. According to a new study commissioned by Campbell Soup Company and Sperling's Best Places, San Francisco ranks as the number two organic-eating city in the United States right behind Portland. Bye bye food trucks, hello fresh kale.

2. San Fran is a dream come true for the active types — with outdoor pastimes like surfing, hiking, snowboarding and sailing just a quick car or train ride away.

3. For those looking to finally escape the cold Philly winters, San Fran is a good fit with mild weather all year around — on average, San Fran temperatures drop to just 57 degrees even during its coldest month, January, according to U.S. climate data.

Cons of living in San Fran:

1. The average cost of groceries is highest in San Fran compared to the other three cities. According to Numbeo, a website comparing cost-of-living across cities, a loaf of white bread and gallon of milk cost $9.25 on average in San Fran compared to Philly, where the cost is lowest and the same bread and milk cost $6.09.

2. Fog is such a common weather phenomenon in San Francisco (especially during June, July and “Fogust”) that there’s a twitter account dedicated to it: @KarlTheFog

Pros of living in Philly:

1. Philadelphia takes the cake for lowest average cost of rent among the four cities, at $1,429 a month within 10 miles of the city, according to Rent Jungle. It also has the relative lowest cost of groceries, according to Numbeo.

2. With Megabus, a trip from Philly to New York takes about two hours and a trip from Philly to D.C. takes about 3 hours.

3. You can easily drop by Penn to reminisce and to visit old professors and friends who haven’t graduated.

Cons of living in Philly:

1. Subway transit leaves some areas of the city largely inaccessible. Philly only has two major subway lines: the Market-Frankford, which runs east-west, and the Broad Street Line, which runs north-south. 

Pros of living in New York:

1. If you’re into fine dining, this will please you: New York City has the most Michelin-rated restaurants out of these four cities — just this September, a record 76 restaurants in New York earned Michelin Stars.

2. As if the nightlife in New York wasn’t awesome enough, the city boasts the latest ‘last call’ time for bars out of the four cities: 4 a.m.

Cons of living in New York:

1. As of Aug. 2015, Rent Jungle declared New York to be the most expensive to live in of the four cities, at $3,642 a month on average.

Pros of living in D.C.:

1. If you’re going to be pursuing further studies or research in Washington, D.C., you’re in luck, as it’s home to the Library of Congress, the largest library in the U.S. by volumes held.

2. Forbes mentioned D.C. as one of the 9 best cities for biking to work — boasting the “second largest percentage of bike commuters among the largest 70 U.S. cities.”

Cons of living in D.C.:

1. Like New York, D.C. has terribly cold winters and uncomfortably hot and humid summers.

2. Not only is the area prone to hurricanes, but also to flooding — a result of a geological phenomenon called “forebulge collapse,” according to the International Business Times, which is making the capital literally sink.

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