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→Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge is LSU football, the Mississippi River bending past downtown, and the kind of food (gumbo, jambalaya, boudin, po'boys) that makes you want to lie down after lunch. The Louisiana state capitol is the tallest in the country, a 34-story Art Deco tower that looks more like a Manhattan office building. Cajun warmth runs through everything, with a slightly more buttoned-up daily pace than New Orleans.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,361/mo
$1,784/mo less than Boston (131%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$250k
$521k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
3.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,722/mo
Baton Rouge has $1,950/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
187 days
27 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
25 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
1 days
days below 20°F per year
Baton Rouge has 23 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 32 more days per year than Baton Rouge.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
50 / 100
21.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
4 routes
99 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
874k metro
Boston has 11.2x more events per month than Baton Rouge.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
6
Baton Rouge
categories won
Baton Rouge wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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