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→Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is the University of Michigan, with the Big House (Michigan Stadium) holding over 107,000 people on football Saturdays, making it briefly the third-largest city in Michigan. Downtown is tree-lined brick streets, great independent bookstores, and a food scene with strong Middle Eastern and Korean energy. Zingerman's Deli is a national pilgrimage. The Huron River runs through. College town energy at its best.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$2,082/mo
$1,063/mo less than Boston (51%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$429k
$342k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
4.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$5,897/mo
Ann Arbor has $1,125/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
154 days
6 fewer than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
51 days
days below 20°F per year
Ann Arbor drops below 20°F on 18 more days per year than Boston.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
56 / 100
15.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
135 routes
32 more direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
366k metro
Boston has 12.0x more events per month than Ann Arbor.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
5
Ann Arbor
categories won
Ann Arbor wins on money. Boston has the edge on weather.
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