01 · the cities
Austin
Austin runs on breakfast tacos, live music, and a stubborn streak of weirdness that the tech boom hasn't fully smoothed over. The east side reinvents itself every few years and still has the vinyl shops, vintage western wear, and honky-tonks to prove it. Barton Springs holds 68°F year-round and locals plan their summers around it. There's a swimming hole, a taco truck, or a guitar within five blocks of wherever you're standing.
full dispatch→Columbus
Columbus is Ohio State on autumn Saturdays (the Horseshoe holds 100,000+ and they all wear scarlet), German Village's cobblestone streets and brick cottages, and a Short North gallery scene that punches well above its weight. It's quietly become a test market for the rest of America because the demographics line up so neatly. The food scene leans young, weird, and good. 'Buckeyes' here can mean either the football team or the chocolate-peanut-butter candy.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,583/mo
$1,511/mo
$72/mo less than Austin (5%)
Median home price
Median home price
$433k
$350k
$83k less than Austin
State income tax
State income tax
0%
4.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,750/mo
$6,490/mo
Austin has $260/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
170 days
171 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
53 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
1 days
29 days
days below 20°F per year
Austin has 53 more days above 95°F each year than Columbus. Columbus drops below 20°F on 28 more days per year than Austin.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
56 / 100
57 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
42 routes
32 routes
10 fewer direct routes than Austin
Metro size
Metro size
2.5M metro
2.2M metro
Austin and Columbus have similar event volume.
the verdict
4
Austin
categories won
3
Columbus
categories won
Austin leads on lifestyle and wins overall.
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