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→El Paso
El Paso has the Franklin Mountains running right through the middle of the city (which is rare), with hiking trails inside city limits and the desert wide open just past the suburbs. The Mexican food is exceptional in ways that the rest of Texas doesn't quite match (it's true regional border food). Ciudad Juarez is literally next door across the Rio Grande. The light at sunset is unreal.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,473/mo
$1,672/mo less than Boston (114%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$231k
$540k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,860/mo
El Paso has $2,088/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
222 days
62 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
60 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
1 days
days below 20°F per year
El Paso has 58 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 32 more days per year than El Paso.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
65 / 100
6.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
13 routes
90 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
872k metro
Boston has 5.6x more events per month than El Paso.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
6
El Paso
categories won
El Paso wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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