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→Columbus
Columbus is on the Chattahoochee River, with the longest urban whitewater course in the world (since 2013) running right through downtown for rafting and surfing waves. Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning) is the city's anchor. The Riverwalk stretches for miles. The downtown has come back nicely with restaurants and breweries. Smaller and friendlier than the city's industrial reputation suggests.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,264/mo
$1,881/mo less than Boston (149%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$208k
$563k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
5.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,612/mo
Columbus has $1,840/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
177 days
17 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
39 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
2 days
days below 20°F per year
Columbus has 37 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 31 more days per year than Columbus.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
47 / 100
24.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
1 routes
102 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
329k metro
Boston has 7.3x more events per month than Columbus.
the verdict
4
Boston
categories won
5
Columbus
categories won
Columbus wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
run your numbers
How far does your Boston salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works