01 · the cities
Baltimore
Baltimore is steamed crabs with Old Bay, the Inner Harbor at golden hour, and row houses with painted screens. Edgar Allan Poe is buried here, John Waters still lives here, and Cal Ripken Jr. is a saint. The seafood is genuinely some of the best on the east coast. The neighborhoods (Fells Point, Hampden, Federal Hill) each feel like their own small town.
full dispatch→Cincinnati
Cincinnati is chili served on spaghetti (Skyline and Gold Star will fight you about which is better), German heritage in Over-the-Rhine's beer halls, and a riverfront that looks straight across at Kentucky. OTR's brick warehouses have become one of the best urban revitalizations in the country. The Reds play in baseball's oldest professional city. Pronounce it correctly and the locals warm up fast.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,868/mo
$1,549/mo
$319/mo less than Baltimore (21%)
Median home price
Median home price
$412k
$316k
$96k less than Baltimore
State income tax
State income tax
8.2%
4.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,782/mo
$6,452/mo
Cincinnati has $670/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
168 days
162 days
6 fewer than Baltimore
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
4 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
21 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
Cincinnati drops below 20°F on 5 more days per year than Baltimore.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
66 / 100
72 / 100
6.0 pts ahead of Baltimore
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
72 routes
47 routes
25 fewer direct routes than Baltimore
Metro size
Metro size
2.8M metro
2.3M metro
Baltimore has 1.3x fewer events per month than Cincinnati.
the verdict
3
Baltimore
categories won
5
Cincinnati
categories won
Cincinnati wins on money. Baltimore has the edge on weather.
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