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→Durham
Durham is Duke University, old tobacco warehouses turned into incredible restaurants and breweries (the American Tobacco Campus is a model for adaptive reuse), and a food scene that punches way above its size (multiple James Beard winners). Bull City pride runs deep. The Eno River and Duke Gardens are right in town. It's more diverse, weirder, and more interesting than outsiders expect.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,583/mo
$1,684/mo
$101/mo more than Austin (6%)
Median home price
Median home price
$433k
$415k
$19k less than Austin
State income tax
State income tax
0%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,750/mo
$6,274/mo
Austin has $476/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
178 days
8 more than Austin
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
53 days
19 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
1 days
5 days
days below 20°F per year
Austin has 34 more days above 95°F each year than Durham.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
56 / 100
50 / 100
6.0 pts behind Austin
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
42 routes
39 routes
3 fewer direct routes than Austin
Metro size
Metro size
2.5M metro
609k metro
Austin has 3.4x more events per month than Durham.
the verdict
5
Austin
categories won
3
Durham
categories won
Austin wins on money and lifestyle. Durham has the edge on weather.
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