01 · the cities
Albuquerque
Albuquerque is green chile on everything, the Sandia Mountains turning pink at sunset (the name literally means watermelon), and the Balloon Fiesta in October when 500+ hot air balloons fill the sky. The old town adobes feel like the 1700s, the food fuses Native, Mexican, and Spanish in ways you won't get anywhere else. Breaking Bad fans will recognize half the city, and locals are good-natured about it.
full dispatch→Eugene
Eugene is Track Town USA (Hayward Field is the spiritual home of American distance running), the University of Oregon, and a hippie-academic-outdoorsy culture that's been here since the '60s and isn't going anywhere. The Willamette and McKenzie rivers meet just outside town. Saturday Market downtown has been running for over 50 years. Coffee and craft beer are taken seriously. Misty in winter, glorious in summer.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,489/mo
$1,799/mo
$310/mo more than Albuquerque (17%)
Median home price
Median home price
$351k
$456k
$104k more than Albuquerque
State income tax
State income tax
5.9%
8.8%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,353/mo
$5,805/mo
Albuquerque has $548/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
205 days
206 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
34 days
2 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
6 days
1 days
days below 20°F per year
Albuquerque has 32 more days above 95°F each year than Eugene. Albuquerque drops below 20°F on 5 more days per year than Eugene.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
81 / 100
75 / 100
6.0 pts behind Albuquerque
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
23 routes
9 routes
14 fewer direct routes than Albuquerque
Metro size
Metro size
924k metro
381k metro
Albuquerque has 1.6x more events per month than Eugene.
the verdict
6
Albuquerque
categories won
2
Eugene
categories won
Albuquerque wins on money and lifestyle. Eugene has the edge on weather.
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