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→Spokane
Spokane is eastern Washington's anchor city, very different from Seattle: drier, sunnier, with the Spokane River tumbling through downtown in actual waterfalls. Riverfront Park (built for the 1974 World's Fair) is the city's living room. Bing Crosby was born here. Mt. Spokane and Coeur d'Alene Lake are nearby. The Bloomsday run every May draws around 40,000 people. Affordable and outdoorsy.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,489/mo
$1,520/mo
Median home price
Median home price
$351k
$420k
$69k more than Albuquerque
State income tax
State income tax
5.9%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,353/mo
$6,813/mo
Spokane has $460/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
164 days
41 fewer than Albuquerque
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
34 days
6 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
6 days
34 days
days below 20°F per year
Albuquerque has 28 more days above 95°F each year than Spokane. Spokane drops below 20°F on 28 more days per year than Albuquerque.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
81 / 100
81 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
23 routes
10 routes
13 fewer direct routes than Albuquerque
Metro size
Metro size
924k metro
600k metro
Albuquerque has 1.1x more events per month than Spokane.
the verdict
4
Albuquerque
categories won
3
Spokane
categories won
Albuquerque wins on weather and lifestyle. Spokane has the edge on money.
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