SF vs. Boston
What’s the better city to be a private equity associate in? Career aside, I’m looking for activities outside of work like dating scene, nightlife, outdoor activities, travel, quality of life, etc.
Trending Content - Private Equity Forum
Career Resources
Following
I’ll bite.
Pros of Boston are:
Better nightlife
Arguably better sports culture
Better food
More robust dating scene
Easy travel to either NYC or Nantucket / Martha’s Vineyard
Boston Cons:
From limited experience working in both cities, Boston work culture seems more tough / communication style is more blunt vs lighter on SF (but can err on the side of passive aggressive). Obviously varies by firm.
Boston gets unlivable in the winter (supposedly -50 degrees the other day, so 2-3 months of your year are rough
SF Pros:
Great ecosystem (dwindling though) of businesses & professionals that is an amazing network - particularly if you are focused in Tech or HC & doing any GE or VC sourcing.
More beautiful scenery that comes with being in California (more to mention on this in cons)
Though not as good as BOS imo, still great food & sports
More diverse population than Boston if important to you
Weather is great year round outside of a week each year that it gets pretty hot
SF Cons:
Poor nightlife - it’s a daytime city which may not be great if working tons of hours in PE
Weaker dating scene than BOS
Large homeless population / really dirties what should be the most beautiful city in the US
—————————
TLDR; If you’re the type that likes going out often, attending sports events, and active in the dating scene, Boston should be better for you so long as you’re at a firm that lets you have time outside office. If you prefer the outdoorsy / daytime activities, really into tech & HC, have intent on your friend group being mostly business related, SF could be for you. Long winded & obviously varies from what I said above based on multiple factors (your stage of life, your new firms culture, your preferences) but hope this was somewhat helpful
Boston dating is fave & food scene is not great. SF has more mid 20s from what I’ve experienced vs what my friends experienced
I would say a pro to SF is proximity to Napa/Tahoe as well.
Not sure if there is an equivalent of those in Boston as I haven’t lived there.
Vermont has decent skiing (Stowe, Killington) but can't hold a candle to what's out West. There's some nice outdoorsy stuff nearby and New England is beautiful in the summer (Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, Newport, White Mountains, Maine).
.
Having lived in both, SF Food & Outdoors >>> Boston Food & Outdoors
That is true as well. Boston has so many universities there (Harvard, MIT, Tufts, BU, BC, quite a few more) so crowd there is def younger than SF
no chance boston has better food than sf
Agreed, SF definitely has better food overall. Much more diverse selection. Outside of more upscale spots, Boston is really only good for seafood and maybe Italian.
Came in here just to say this
Having lived in both I prefer the Italian and American food in Boston, but still exploring everything in SF
Boston is far safer, more manageable, more affordable, lower taxes, better dating pool, and is generally more livable. But it is cold, relatively small and boring, and a relatively T2 city in a lot of respects (incl food which is heinous). Work culture is closer to NYC in vibe and hours at the top shops.
SF is more exciting, California is beautiful, there is more networking to do, it has fantastic food, and it’s a more “prestigious” city to live in. But it’s filthy, dangerous, difficult to live in, and expensive (incl taxes). The dating pool is horrid, and you feel very poor in SF even making good money.
Anyone got dating views on BOS/SF?
Spent a while in Boston. The high end is definitely limited (eg not a lot of complete dimes) but very solid overall and supply / demand dynamics pretty favorable for decent looking guys. Lot of pretty decent, largely white, young professionals and students. Average woman is well educated as well. I was pleased overall. Probably slightly lower average attractiveness than nyc, but otherwise pretty similar scene imo.
SF is pretty bad, maybe the worst of the major cities in the US. I’ve spent minimal time there, but many of my friends live there. Very few women, relatively low average attractiveness, and the girls there have an unrealistic opinion of themselves because the supply / demand dynamics are so skewed in their favor. Lots of pseudo-incel but rich tech bros who simp, and the girls have this absurd expectation that you will too. If you’re not into Asian girls, that will make the pool even harder too.
Never had to date in SF (thank god) but it's horrific as a guy from seeing male friends and coworkers trying to navigate the dating scene here (and on the flip side, expectations of some of my female friends going on dates). Investment Analyst in HF is spot on on the challenges. Gender imbalance is real and truly the tech bro simping is insane, like they'll drop hundreds of $ on first dates (sometimes Michelin * restaurants) and pay for Uber Blacks to pick up and drop off girls.
Agreed - there are definitely attractive girls in SF just a large pool of tech males who deal with their insecurity and non-alpha finance jobs by simping over them. Also a ton of family money flows into the pockets of the local kids who return to work for daddy’s portfolio company post-grad offering girls the chance to visit beta tech kid’s family home in Tahoe, Napa, etc.
Why would anyone date the hardworking finance guy that will never be around when there’s loads of NPC rich kids on ever corner that barely work and have unlimited bank roll?
I'm biased since I grew up close to SF and family is nearby, I work in Tech IB in SF (ignore header).
SF is easily the most beautiful city that I have been in (San Diego is a close second): I've spent time in NY, Chicago, Vienna, Boston, Singapore, and others. All excel in their own rights but for natural beauty SF wins, and that brings me a lot of happiness. Weather is also really pretty good all year, I like the fog, and you never really need a heavy winter coat.
I'm into Asian chicks so it's worked well for me, decent amount of girls from UCLA/USC/Cal in the city and other schools. It's probably harder to find the right match since the ratio is considerably worse than NY for example, but I'd say it's a great place to be in a relationship.
Proximity to beach, mountains, wine country, and a flight to LA/Vegas/San Diego are major pros.
Food is really very good, pretty much whatever you want you will find really quality food.
Nightlife in terms of bars/clubs is obv not as good versus New York but if you find a decent social circle (I'm luck again since grew up in the area and have friends), you can still have fun between house parties and the top bars/clubs.
Yes homeless problem sucks, property crime is bad, tech bro culture is annoying (try going to Seattle/Portland and SF will seem great), and it's pricey.
I'm aiming to live in Europe and SEA in the next few years (as I enter my mid 20s) for life experience, but this place is home to me and I think I'll definitely end up near here when it comes time to settle down. Trying to bag an international chick though lol.
How's dating if you're not a weird pasty white guy with a fetish for mid Asian girls? Any decent pool of white girls? Is it a good place to eventually raise a family?
I'm actually not white, I'm Middle Eastern & Indian, and it goes well for me. I am in good shape and like to think I know how to dress well, so I find that I stand out a lot compared to the pasty white guys and Asian/Indian CS nerds.
There are a decent pool of women, but you encounter them in different environments. There is a early/mid 20's working crowd here that you don't find in some cities, and I find that I have success with these chicks, versus in Boston and San Diego when a couple years ago I would hit up way more college type bars.
Dating culture is different here, a lot of the girls I meet off Hinge want to go on hikes before we go to the bars, versus in some other cities I find we usually go to the bars first.
Great place to raise a family if you have the means. The surrounding areas: Marin, Mill Valley, Burlingame, San Mateo, etc. have top of the top quality schools, are safe and clean, and there are plenty of activities and road trips to go on all around.
Lived in SF for over 2 years now and the homelessness is NOT covered well IMO:
In actuality, there are neighborhoods where it is even worse than anything you’ve heard AND there are neighborhoods where you barely notice it. You’ll make more than enough money to live in the Marina, Cow Hollow or Russian Hill, which are amazing areas.
My friends in Boston have said that, if you’re not in school / went to those schools, you’ll always be “out of the loop” socially.
Agreed, if you make good money you can pretty much avoid the homelessness day to day, but where it is bad it is very bad.
I felt the same way with Boston, the friends I have there with strong social lives have tons of friends from their 4 years of undergrad at BC, BU, and obviously the top schools. Otherwise you're more of an outsider.
Live in Boston now and previously lived in SF - personally like Boston way more
Boston is IMO a better place for your 20s. It’s much more affordable - working as an associate in Boston you can easily live in the nicest neighborhoods in a solid 1bed, which just didn’t feel possible to me in SF. Boston is also pretty small and walkable so never felt the need for a car.
Boston has a great going out scene if you know where to look - lots of fun bar spots (both more crowded “dancing” bars as well as a ton of chill spots) and also a few solid clubs. It’s definitely a city with a big drinking culture.
I found SF social scene terrible - felt like it was either all underground raves with a bunch of Asian girls on Molly or awkward tech bro house parties with 90% guys. Boston also just feels like it has more “normal” people - felt like SF was 80% tech nerds and 20% finance hardos. Boston has way more normal people that work in finance, consulting, healthcare, etc - just less tech centric and for some reason I think the people here just fit me better.
Girls / dating in Boston is solid, lots of cute girls and definitely a better ratio vs SF. The girls are not quite as hot as NYC but much more “wifey” type girls who are educated and have good jobs. Myself / friends have all been successful in either casual dating or finding serious relationships.
The one downside is probably weather, winter in Boston kind of sucks but it’s pretty awesome for ~9 months a year. Summer especially is great here, it’s a nice city in the summer and tons of great destinations close by (cape, Nantucket, maine, Newport, so on). Not as “nature-y” as SF if you’re into hiking and stuff, but have a few outdoorsy friends that go up to maine / New Hampshire for their outdoorsy fix.
Also think Boston feels like a much better place to be long term - there’s great suburbs with good schools right outside the city. I personally would never want to raise a family in SF but could definitely see myself doing so in Boston.
Career wise, SF is obviously top tier for tech but Boston is slept on in my opinion. Tons of great PE / growth shops (Bain, Advent, Berkshire, THL, Providence, great hill, cove hill, Charlesbank, TA, summit), some banking offices, massive HF / AM scene, some top VC funds.
Y'all think SF is coming back? I hear it is still pretty dead in downtown SF, unlike other major cities where office occupancy is still way down but overall seem like they are pretty busy. Including Boston.
It is coming back for sure. A lot of my college friends who were living at home with their families are moving back in the city, and you see that in restaurants and bars on the right nights. It'll take time, but I'm seeing more young people move in and out and about compared to how it's been since Covid started.
Def improving but nowhere near how say, NYC recovered. Many tech firms are reverting their WFH policies which is helping a bit, and w/ how the tech job market is I think people are more amenable to being in-office.
Boston
Dating scene - tossup, slight edge to boston. sf girls are prettier bc of the city's emphasis on fitness, but harder to get. however, as a finance bro, you'll stand out from the tech bros and you'll have a better chance.
Nightlife - boston. sf has always been a sleepy place, gotta be well rested for your 7AM hikes
outdoor activities. - hands down SF. not even a competition, SF is probably the best city in the country for outdoor activities.
travel - its a tossup. SF is close to tahoe, LA, vegas, arizona, and the mountain west. Boston is on the acela corridor so you have easy access to nyc/dc, and vermont is right there. internationally, SF is closer to asia and you definitely see that reflected in the culture. boston is closer to europe. It all depends on your preferences
QoL - boston. Boston is cleaner and safer, no doubt about it. however, people underestimate how good sleeping early and eating healthier in sf benefits their bodies. you'll get so much walking done. Still, in SF you'll probably live in an older building, your car will be more likely to be broken into (leave absolutely nothing in it - it should look like it just came of the lot), there are way more bums roaming around, and MUNI is annoying af to deal with.
Finance culture/career - hands down SF. way more laid back + a strong tech influence keeps most of the east coast dicks away. It sounds corny, but its a little inspirational to be surrounded by some of the most brilliant people on earth!
SF girls say they are outdoorsy and work out but they're on average way chubbier than nyc la or Miami. Mainly because there's a very specific eating culture in those cities that puts pressure on people staying thin. It's not even comparable
yeah LA/NYC/Miami girls don't compare with either, and the women in sf aren't anything to write home about. fairly average for an american city IMO
no offense to the people of boston, i'm sure they are fine people, but i find them to be some of the most unattractive people of any major city in the US. Seattle was the only place that came close to them
boston weather is shit for half the year, but really decent place to live overall
SF better for early to mid 20s: Boston better to settle down. NYC above all
Currently in SF, lived in BOS previously. BOS >> SF for 20s on most fronts and its not even close despite the bitter winters
Nihil est vel dignissimos dolorem mollitia voluptates vero. Autem et eaque et cum repellat. Voluptas accusantium vel fugit autem. Saepe quae aperiam repellat non dolorem perferendis voluptate. Non dolor quidem dolore voluptate beatae illum. Sint ducimus sed cupiditate unde id. Sit quos qui qui exercitationem quam sit.
At in laborum sequi eos non et quibusdam. Et culpa sequi quasi consequatur. Eveniet velit quos et sunt dolores veniam sunt. Est voluptatem distinctio incidunt magnam accusantium libero non sed. Ut dicta quo ad qui quod ut. Ad sint error exercitationem beatae ut et alias et. Qui et molestias aut qui natus facere sunt corrupti.
Eaque exercitationem velit voluptatem at quo qui. Repellat sint saepe voluptatem voluptas minima est. Ad atque quae perspiciatis magnam ipsum dignissimos. Doloremque molestias omnis sit non dolor dolorum. Aliquid inventore pariatur occaecati quaerat placeat. Rerum dolorem itaque non cupiditate rem. Error ipsa corrupti velit voluptas aut.
Est animi dolorem illo ab facere eos. Praesentium possimus voluptates dolor aut voluptas odit. Et similique est aliquam nihil animi voluptates animi.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Amet voluptates excepturi sit perspiciatis et quia. Rerum itaque quis atque ratione. Rerum repellendus voluptas dicta dignissimos aliquid. Ea at fuga veritatis atque nihil.
Saepe tempore tempora ut. Architecto atque quia sunt adipisci enim. Itaque omnis eligendi harum tenetur molestias. Doloremque atque commodi iste explicabo vero voluptate. Id quos recusandae voluptatum quibusdam quam.
Adipisci vel aliquid nobis mollitia enim. Et eligendi in aliquam id delectus consequatur sint. Voluptatem dolorem cum eos facere.
Ut et minus dolorum pariatur laudantium numquam mollitia. Est eum quod atque et et. Officiis molestiae unde debitis pariatur aut. Doloremque voluptas voluptatum et quia inventore modi vel.