a landable guide
Chicago has 153 pleasant days and $2,170 median rent. These cities have more of the first and less of the second.
By Karol Gajda
Chicago delivers on a lot: a real food scene, genuine architecture, excellent parks, and a cultural footprint that punches well above its size. What it does not deliver is sun. At 153 pleasant days a year, 38 extreme cold days, and a 4.95% state income tax on top of $2,170 median rent, the cost of staying is not purely financial. The winters are the price nobody puts in the listing.
This list finds the cities most likely to make a Chicagoan feel like they upgraded rather than retreated: places with at least 200 pleasant days, rent under $1,800, and enough going on that the trade holds up in practice. Weather does the heavy lifting in the ranking, with affordability close behind. Every blurb reports how many more pleasant days each city gets versus Chicago, and how much less the rent costs.
01
Photo by Chad Populis on Pexels
LA · 962k metro
New Orleans tops the Chicago exits. 235 pleasant days is 82 more than Chicago, $1,612 median rent is $558 less a month, and only 0 extreme cold days. The version of this deal that actually works.
$1,612
median rent / month
235
pleasant days a year
0
days a year below 20°F
02
AL · 412k metro
Mobile lands at number two: 225 pleasant days, 72 more than Chicago, $1,302 rent, $868 less a month, and 0 extreme cold days. The math keeps improving.
$1,302
median rent / month
225
pleasant days a year
0
days a year below 20°F
03
Photo by Alex Reynolds on Unsplash
SC · 975k metro
Greenville takes the third spot. 202 pleasant days, 49 more than Chicago, 5 extreme cold days, and $1,551 median rent, which is $619 less than you are paying now.
$1,551
median rent / month
202
pleasant days a year
5
days a year below 20°F
04
Photo by Drew Perales on Unsplash
SC · 397k metro
Myrtle Beach runs $1,727 a month against Chicago's $2,170, a gap of $443. 249 pleasant days and only 0 extreme cold days. The winters stop being the thing you dread each September.
$1,727
median rent / month
249
pleasant days a year
0
days a year below 20°F
05
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels
OR · 381k metro
Eugene is the city ex-Chicagoans keep recommending to each other. 206 pleasant days, 1 extreme cold days, $1,799 rent, $371 less every month.
$1,799
median rent / month
206
pleasant days a year
1
days a year below 20°F
06
Photo by Stephanie Klepacki on Unsplash
NM · 924k metro
Albuquerque pairs $1,489 rent with 205 pleasant days and 6 extreme cold days. That is 52 more good-weather days than Chicago and $681 less every month.
$1,489
median rent / month
205
pleasant days a year
6
days a year below 20°F
07
Photo by Kevin Dunlap on Unsplash
FL · 530k metro
Pensacola closes the rent gap by $418 a month versus Chicago. 226 pleasant days, 0 extreme cold days, $1,752 median rent. The lifestyle column changes more than the financial one.
$1,752
median rent / month
226
pleasant days a year
0
days a year below 20°F
08
Photo by Barry Love on Unsplash
NC · 417k metro
Asheville brings 201 pleasant days, 13 extreme cold days, and $1,738 rent. That is 48 more days worth going outside for and $432 less in monthly housing costs.
$1,738
median rent / month
201
pleasant days a year
13
days a year below 20°F
09
Photo by Benjamin Disinger on Unsplash
GA · 425k metro
Savannah sits near the bottom of the top ten, but the trade still holds: 209 pleasant days, 0 extreme cold days, $1,770 rent, $400 less than Chicago every month.
$1,770
median rent / month
209
pleasant days a year
0
days a year below 20°F
10
Photo by Greg Bulla on Unsplash
TX · 872k metro
El Paso rounds out the ten. 222 pleasant days versus Chicago's 153, 1 extreme cold days, $1,473 median rent, $697 saved each month. The numbers do the persuading.
$1,473
median rent / month
222
pleasant days a year
1
days a year below 20°F
We rank by 35% weather, 30% affordability, 15% things to do, 10% parks, and 10% walkability. Filters: at least 200 pleasant days a year and median rent under $1,800 a month.
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