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→Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach has hard-packed sand you can actually drive your car on (yes, on the beach, it's a tradition). The Daytona 500 brings NASCAR to town every February and shakes the whole city awake. Bike Week is its own beast. Outside of the events, it's a quieter Florida beach town than its reputation suggests, with affordable oceanfront and the Halifax River making the geography interesting.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,784/mo
$1,361/mo less than Boston (76%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$331k
$440k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,549/mo
Daytona Beach has $1,777/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
212 days
52 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
11 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Daytona Beach has 9 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 33 more days per year than Daytona Beach.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
63 / 100
8.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
2 routes
101 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
722k metro
Boston has 12.0x more events per month than Daytona Beach.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
6
Daytona Beach
categories won
Daytona Beach wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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