a landable guide
Boise was the outdoor-access bargain. At $1,794 median rent, these cities have the trails, the outdoor score, and the price Boise left behind.
By Karol Gajda
Boise's story follows a familiar arc: outdoor access, relative affordability, and a growing tech scene drew enough people that the affordability part eroded. At $1,794 median rent, with real heat and cold extremes, the value proposition has thinned.
This list finds cities with comparable outdoor scores at rent under $1,450. Affordability and parks do most of the work, and every blurb reports how each city's outdoor score and rent compare to Boise's.
01
Photo by Jenny Gregg on Pexels
SC · 383k metro
Spartanburg leads the Boise alternatives: an outdoor score of 68, within reach of Boise's 82, and $1,434 median rent for $360 less a month.
$1,434
median rent / month
68
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
191
pleasant days a year
02
Photo by Joseph Fuller on Pexels
VA · 314k metro
Roanoke comes in second with $1,382 rent, $412 below Boise, and an outdoor score of 69. The trails-and-affordable trade Boise used to offer.
$1,382
median rent / month
69
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
179
pleasant days a year
03
Photo by Michael Bowman on Unsplash
OH · 808k metro
Dayton takes third: outdoor score 62, $1,321 median rent, $473 less than Boise.
$1,321
median rent / month
62
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
171
pleasant days a year
04
Photo by Mark Stebnicki on Pexels
NC · 370k metro
Hickory pairs an outdoor score of 64 with $1,434 rent, $360 under Boise, and 189 pleasant days.
$1,434
median rent / month
64
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
189
pleasant days a year
05
Photo by Tiffany Cade on Unsplash
MO · 2.8M metro
St. Louis earns it on outdoor value: $383 less rent than Boise at $1,411, outdoor score 68.
$1,411
median rent / month
68
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
174
pleasant days a year
06
Photo by Gary Meulemans on Unsplash
WI · 332k metro
Green Bay is the mid-list Boise alternative that holds up: $1,122 rent, $672 below Boise, outdoor score 73.
$1,122
median rent / month
73
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
146
pleasant days a year
07
Photo by Morey Longo on Unsplash
PA · 606k metro
Harrisburg clears the bar with $1,446 median rent, $348 less than Boise, and an outdoor score of 69.
$1,446
median rent / month
69
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
152
pleasant days a year
08
Photo by Pavol Svantner on Unsplash
NY · 1.2M metro
Buffalo keeps the outdoor-and-affordable promise: outdoor score 66 at $1,374 a month, $420 under Boise.
$1,374
median rent / month
66
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
152
pleasant days a year
09
Photo by Brian Ashworth on Unsplash
OH · 698k metro
Akron lands near the bottom of the ten and still beats Boise on price: $1,259 rent, $535 less monthly, outdoor score 65.
$1,259
median rent / month
65
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
152
pleasant days a year
10
Photo by DJ Johnson on Unsplash
OH · 2.2M metro
Cleveland rounds out the list: $1,419 median rent, $375 under Boise, outdoor score 63.
$1,419
median rent / month
63
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
159
pleasant days a year
We rank by 35% affordability, 30% parks, 20% weather, 10% things to do, and 5% walkability, filtered to median rent under $1,450 and a strong OutdoorScore floor.
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