landable/cost of living comparison
vs

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

Dallas

Dallas is Stetsons next to skyscrapers, Tex-Mex with queso flowing freely, and a barbecue scene that quietly competes with Austin's. The arts district downtown is enormous and free to wander, while Bishop Arts and Deep Ellum bring the indie energy. Football is its own religion (high school, college, and Cowboys all year round). The bigness is real, and the city wears it well.

full dispatch

02 · the money

Median rent

$3,145/mo

$1,647/mo

$1,498/mo less than Boston (91%)

Median home price

$771k

$367k

$404k less than Boston

State income tax

5.0%

0%

Gross left after rent

$4,772/mo

$6,686/mo

Dallas has $1,914/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

160 days

171 days

11 more than Boston

Extreme heat days

2 days

40 days

days above 95°F per year

Extreme cold days

33 days

2 days

days below 20°F per year

Dallas has 38 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 31 more days per year than Dallas.

04 · the life

OutdoorScore

71 / 100

57 / 100

14.0 pts behind Boston

Walk Score®

98 / 100

93 / 100

5 pts behind Boston

Nonstop flights

103 routes

190 routes

87 more direct routes than Boston

Metro size

4.9M metro

8.1M metro

Boston has 2.6x fewer events per month than Dallas.

the verdict

2

Boston

categories won

of 9

7

Dallas

categories won

Dallas leads on money and weather and wins overall.

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We use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.

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