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→Allentown
Allentown is the heart of the Lehigh Valley, with old industrial bones turning into a quietly resilient mid-sized city. The Lehigh River runs past, the historic downtown has been steadily finding its footing with breweries and restaurants in the old buildings, and the surrounding farmland is gorgeous. It's an hour and change from both Philly and NYC. Cheaper than both, by a lot.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,809/mo
$1,336/mo less than Boston (74%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$359k
$412k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,269/mo
Allentown has $1,497/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
157 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
2 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
32 days
days below 20°F per year
Boston and Allentown have remarkably similar weather profiles overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
73 / 100
2.0 pts ahead of Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
9 routes
94 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
874k metro
Boston has 6.2x more events per month than Allentown.
the verdict
1
Boston
categories won
5
Allentown
categories won
Allentown wins this comparison, leading on money.
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