Super Bowl City Comparison: Kansas City vs. San Francisco

Gallons of digital ink will be spilled on this year's Super Bowl 58 showdown between the defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs and NFC-best San Francisco 49ers – but which of the two cities is best in some of the most important non-football categories? We offer a detailed breakdown here.

The two-week period between the end of the conference championships and the Super Bowl is filled with stories of the players, coaches, owners, and just about anyone else affiliated with the two competing teams. But what about the participating cities themselves? Shouldn't we get to know them a little better?

We considered more than 50 categories before narrowing the list down to 12 – and while it might seem unfair to compare these two unique and fascinating cities in some areas, we felt that these categories painted the clearest picture of which city is superior in the criteria that matter most to people.

Here's a look at our Super Bowl city comparison of Kansas City, Mo. and San Francisco, Calif.:

Super Bowl City Comparison

Famous Athletes

Kansas City: Tom Watson, Casey Stengel, David Cone, Frank White, Rachaad White, Butch Reed, Aldon Smith

San Francisco: Jason Kidd, Keith Hernandez, O.J. Simpson, Dom DiMaggio, Andre Ward, Johnny Miller

We start with a legitimate toss-up (though this one would have been a first-round KO for San Fran had San Mateo native Tom Brady been born 20 miles further south.)

Golf and baseball fans will agree that a 1-2 punch of Watson and Stengel will be tough to beat; throw in local legend Cone and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White, and you have a nice mix of stars from yesterday and today.

That said, the combo of Miller and Hernandez is no slouch; throw in an NBA Hall of Famer in Kidd and one of the top pound-for-pound boxers of his era in Ward, and things start to get interesting. However, the inclusion of Simpson is the decider – and that's not a good thing for San Francisco, as his "notoriety" is not exactly what a city wants on its resume.

Winner: Kansas City

Famous Musicians

Kansas City: Burt Bacharach, Big Joe Turner, Chely Wright, Puddle of Mudd, Coalesce

San Francisco: Grateful Dead, Santana, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Counting Crows, Dead Kennedys, Journey, Steve Miller Band, Courtney Love, Third Eye Blind

Stop the fight.

We have the utmost respect for this lineup of notable Kansas City musicians, and there are hundreds of others that have fashioned themselves wonderful careers on the local level.  Bacharach's endearing cameo in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" remains one of the best parts of the trilogy. And Big Joe Turner is a blues legend, plain and simple.

But if we're talking famous musicians, hot spots don't get much hotter than San Francisco. The lineup listed above is only part of a long list of globally renowned musical acts, but it's plenty powerful enough to surpass the majority of cities in the United States. And it doesn't hurt that Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz is a huuuuge Cal football fan.

Winner: San Francisco

Signature Foods

Kansas City: Chili and Cinnamon Rolls, Z-Man Sandwich, Cheesy Corn, Chicken Spiedini, KC Strip Steak, Sour Cream and Raisin Pie, Brisket Sliders

San Francisco: Dungeness Crab, Sourdough Bread, Clam Chowder, Mission Burrito, Cioppino, Dim Sum

We're going much deeper than KC barbecue vs. Rice-a-Roni – and when you really drill down on each city's trademark eats, this one is closer than residents from either city would like.

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que has perfected the Z-Man Sandwich, a must-have for any visitor to the City of Fountains. And even if you're not a charred meat connoisseur, Kansas City has a wonderful variety of signature dishes, from sweet to spicy and everything in between.

Those unfamiliar with the San Francisco food scene won't be surprised to see a handful of seafood-centered items here, including clam chowder, crab, and cioppino (a fisherman's stew featuring all kinds of ocean goodies). But it's the inclusion of sourdough bread that really makes this matchup interesting (mainly because really good sourdough is a game changer).

In the end, though, KC's well-earned reputation as one of the top barbecue destinations in the country give it the ever-so-slight edge over San Fran.

Winner: Kansas City

Weather*

Kansas City: Average temperature: 54.5 degrees Fahrenheit; average annual snowfall: 12.5 inches; average annual sunlight: 4,545 kJ/m2; mean annual precipitation: 42.43 inches; annual extreme events: 29

San Francisco: Average temperature: 59.4 degrees Fahrenheit; average annual snowfall: 3.75 inches; average annual sunlight: 5,050 kJ/m2; mean annual precipitation: 22.20 inches; annual extreme events: 14

*State averages

There isn't much that really stands out about Missouri weather. It's not sensational, but it's not terrible. The state ranks inside the top 20 in average temperature, average snowfall (where less is better) and average annual sunlight. The one major red flag: Missouri has more annual extreme events (tornadoes, etc.) than 44 other states.

Still, there's just something about the California weather that pulls people to the state on an annual basis. It's considerably warmer there, has far less precipitation (frozen or otherwise) and provides plenty of sunshine for the pale and weary. And while people wait nervously for "The Big One", Cali actually has far less major weather events than Missouri.

Missouri's not bad from a weather standpoint – but California is just better.

Winner: San Francisco

Cost of Living

To maintain your standard of living in San Francisco with a pre-tax household income of $70,000 in Kansas City, you'll need an income of $128,160.

To maintain your standard of living in Kansas City with a pre-tax household income of $70,000 in San Francisco, you'll need an income of $38,234.

We enlisted the help of Forbes' incredibly handy Cost of Living Calculator for this category, but it's immediately clear that we didn't need it.

Where NFL cities are involved, you won't find many with a bigger cost-of-living difference than the one that exists between Kansas City and San Francisco. KC residents hoping to move to the city by the bay will be treated to a 50% increase in transportation costs, a 24% boost to utilities and a staggering 204% jump in real estate costs.

"No problem," you say, "I won't buy a house, I'll rent an apartment!" Okay! For that $1,525 monthly rate you pay in Kansas City, you'll get the same setup for $3,803 in San Fran. Perhaps you'll rethink that whole moving thing, yeah?

Winner: Kansas City

Team Jersey Appeal

Kansas City: Team colors – red, gold, white

San Francisco: Team colors – red, gold, white (not a misprint)

We solicited a little help with this one from three of Sportsbook Review's top betting analysts and jersey connoisseurs. Here are their takes:

Analyst No. 1: "San Francisco ranks as the best of Super Bowl city jerseys. The 49ers’ gold-on-red threads are nothing short of iconic. On the other side, Kansas City doesn’t give us much to work with. The Chiefs’ uniforms give heavy old-school-McDonalds vibes."

Analyst No. 2: "Red and yellow or red and gold? The Chiefs’ whites get the nod for me. The red and yellow trim look great on field or for fashion and the Lamar Hunt AFC patch is nice nod to the history of the franchise. The 49ers’ plain block lettering is a little flat. I prefer their 90’s throwbacks better."

Analyst No. 3: "Both uniforms may be considered classics, but the Chiefs’ is simply the better of the two. The red and yellow pop in all the right ways and look especially good paired with their road whites. The 49ers uniforms are just kinda plain and desperately in need of an overhaul from Kristin Juszczyk."

And with that hilarious and timely burn, the Chiefs prevail!

Winner: Kansas City

Team Mascots

Kansas City: K.C. Wolf

San Francisco: Sourdough Sam

This is a tough one – not because of the subjectivity of choosing one of these mascots as the superior option through completely unscientific methods, but because both mascots have fascinating backstories.

K.C. Wolf has been the Chiefs' mascot since 1989, and has been portrayed for more than 30 years by Dan Meers, who is also an author and motivational speaker when he isn't, you know, tackling field interlopers or being inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. Meers is a national treasure, people, and that matters a lot in mascot discourse.

Sourdough Sam doesn't have the same pugilistic history – but his 50+-year fixture as the mascot for one of the most successful franchises in NFL annals is just as impressive. Sam has undergone a variety of transformations over the years, none as entertaining as the time he threw on shudder shades and a gold chain that read "SOUR DIZZLE" for an meet-and-greet with legendary rapper Snoop Dogg.

Chillin' with the D-oh-double-G is great for your cred, but K.C. Wolf is a freaking Hall of Famer. And with only 20 professional team mascots in the hallowed museum as of 2023, that's a heck of an honor. Canis lupus takes this one with ease.

Winner: Kansas City

Team Social Media

Kansas City: @Chiefs (Twitter/X), @chiefs (TikTok), chiefs (Instagram), Kansas City Chiefs (Facebook)

San Francisco: @49ers (Twitter/X), @49ers (TikTok), 49ers (Instagram), San Francisco 49ers (Facebook)

This Chiefs-vs.-49ers social media breakdown comes courtesy Sportsbook Review's Senior Social Media Specialist, Christian Kluszczynski:

Though the battle on the field in Las Vegas will be decided through a combination of skill, smarts, and wills, it’s the behind-the-scenes’ special teams for the Chiefs and 49ers that is  ultimately pitted with the tall task of winning the hearts and minds of the fair-weather, neutral, or even average football fan. 

We’re talking about the unsung heroes of any franchise: the social media team behind the actual team on the field. At first glance, the Niners and Chiefs seem neck and neck when it comes to social-media presence and presentation on all of their platforms: Great graphics, engaging posts, solid video edits, etc. 

However, this social battle isn’t as close as it seems. In fact, these two social teams aren’t even using the same playbook when it comes to social media. After all, the Chiefs have the ultimate X Factor in Taylor Swift.

She may not be an actual rostered player on Andy Reid’s team, but she’s about as close as it gets to being the Tom Brady (or … errr … Patrick Mahomes in this case) of social media GOATs. Taylor Swift has reportedly earned the Chiefs and the NFL as a whole over $331 million since bursting onto the scene with boyfriend Travis Kelce in late July 2023.

And let’s get real, the NFL - or social media as a whole for that matter - has never really been the same since T.Swizzle attended her first Chiefs game on Sept. 24 vs. the Chicago Bears.

KC for the win - on and off the field.

Winner: Kansas City

Pop Culture

Kansas City: "American Ninja Warrior" (Seasons 7, 9), "Queer Eye" (Season 3), "Kansas City" (Jerry Lieber/Mike Stoller song), "Bird", "Last Night on Earth" (U2 video), Taylor Swift dating Travis Kelce (in case you didn't already know)

San Francisco: "Vertigo", "After the Thin Man", "Ant-Man", "Big Trouble in Little China", "Bullitt", "The Maltese Falcon", "Harold and Maude", "Milk", "The Rock", "Star Trek, Part IV: The Voyage Home", "The Pursuit of Happyness", "Dirty Harry", "Beaches", "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Basic Insinct", "48 Hours", "A View to a Kill", "Sister Act"

When one of the world's most popular recording artists is in a relationship with the star tight end of the AFC's Super Bowl representative, that's pretty much as big as it gets here. Just check out the ratings for Super Bowl 58 and you'll see what we mean.

Yet, where San Francisco lacks with the sledgehammer-like pop culture impact of Tay-Tay and Travis, it makes up for with an insane level of depth. The "San Francisco in Popular Culture" page on Wikipedia lists a whopping 200 movies that have been set in San Fran, and there are countless others not on this list.

We didn't even get to all of the TV shows that have been set there over the years, including "Full House", "Party of Five", "Suddenly Susan", "That's So Raven" and "Falcon Crest" (ask your parents), among others. Sorry, T-Swift, but San Francisco wins the day.

Winner: San Francisco

Airport Quality

Kansas City: Kansas City International Airport (788 out of 1,000, ranked 13th out of 27 "Large" airports)

San Francisco: San Francisco International Airport (781 out of 1,000, ranked sixth out of 20 "Mega" airports)

So we have a bit of a conundrum here.

According to J.D. Power's latest North America Airport Satisfaction Study, Kansas City International Airport ranks right near the middle of the pack among "Large" airports with a score of 788 out of 1,000 in an index which weighs six factors (terminal facilities; arrival and departure; baggage claim; security; check in and baggage check; and food/beverage/retail.)

San Francisco International Airport recorded a slightly lower overall score at 781, but actually ranks sixth among 20 airports classified as "Mega", meaning they serve a much larger overall population. Lower score, higher ranking in its tier ... what's a feature writer to do here?

At the end of the day, like the Super Bowl itself, the score is the only thing that really matters. And KC has the higher total here – so we have ourselves a winner. Don't @ us.

Winner: Kansas City

Crime Stats

Kansas City: 6,309.6 annual crimes per 100,000 people (14th-highest)

San Francisco: 6,917.4 annual crimes per 100,000 people (7th-highest)

We hate to put a damper on things, but these two cities rank among the worst in the United States when it comes to crime rate.

According to the latest data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, San Francisco sees nearly 7,000 crimes committed per 100,000 people. The irony of San Francisco's No. 7 crime rate ranking: It falls directly between conference championship runners-up Baltimore (No. 6) and Detroit (No. 8).

Kansas City turned out to be the Utopia of the quartet, "only" ranking 14th in overall crime rate. KC posted the fourth-highest incidence of aggravated assault in the most recent report, one spot behind fellow Missouri city St. Louis. We might consider renaming Missouri "The Show-Me to the Hospital State".

There really is no winner here, but K.C. gets the nod as the slightly less crime-riddled city.

Winner: Kansas City

Local Lingo

Kansas City: Tennis shoes (not sneakers); "Raised Royal" (you're a K.C. lifer); Boulevard (residents' beer of choice), burnt ends (a K.C. barbecue staple)

San Francisco: hella (very or a lot of), yee (yes), tryna (would like to), finna (going to), put on blast (call someone out on something), whip (car), outta pocket (out of line), joog (discount)

This doesn't seem like a fair fight at all.

Bless Missourians for their efforts here, but there's just not that much to suggest that it will be difficult for visitors to learn the local slang. "Burnt ends" makes total sense given K.C.'s reputation as a barbecue mecca, and the others on that list are just ... tame.

Not so in San Francisco, where, if you end up with the wrong group of people, you could wind up in a conversation featuring so many strings of hellas, finnas and joogs that you'll think you've wandered into a parallel dimension. And that's the true measure of local lingo: if it's completely incoherent to an out-of-towner, it's good enough to take down this category.

Winner: San Francisco

Overall Winner

Here's the thing about being aligned with the Chiefs: All they do is win.

The football franchise is one victory away from its third Super Bowl triumph in the past five years – and now, you can add a city comparison title to its long list of accolades. KC prevails quite handily over San Francisco thanks in large part to its affordability, strong food culture and team-related elements that are among the best in the NFL.

San Francisco might have more film credits and nicer weather, but in this head-to-head showdown, Kansas City is king.

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