01 · the cities
Boston
Boston is brick sidewalks, dive bars older than most states, and an accent that turns 'park the car' into a love language. The city is densely packed with colleges (Harvard, MIT, BU, BC, plus 30 more), which keeps it perpetually 22 years old in spirit. The Freedom Trail literally paints a red line through 400 years of American history. Dunkin' is not a chain here, it's a way of life.
full dispatch→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→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,489/mo
$1,656/mo less than Boston (111%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$351k
$420k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,353/mo
Albuquerque has $1,581/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
160 days
205 days
45 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
34 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
6 days
days below 20°F per year
Albuquerque has 32 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 27 more days per year than Albuquerque.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
81 / 100
10.0 pts ahead of Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
23 routes
80 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
924k metro
Boston has 4.0x more events per month than Albuquerque.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
6
Albuquerque
categories won
Albuquerque leads on money and weather and wins overall.
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