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→Fort Collins
Fort Collins is the home of New Belgium Brewing (Fat Tire's origin) and a thriving craft beer scene with more breweries than Boulder. Old Town's brick streets and historic storefronts are charming enough that they're said to have influenced Disney's Main Street USA designers. CSU keeps the energy young. The foothills rise right outside town, and Rocky Mountain National Park is an hour away. Quieter than Boulder, less expensive.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,971/mo
$1,174/mo less than Boston (60%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$572k
$198k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
4.4%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$5,996/mo
Fort Collins has $1,224/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
11 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
44 days
days below 20°F per year
Fort Collins has 9 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Fort Collins drops below 20°F on 11 more days per year than Boston.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
69 / 100
2.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
169 routes
66 more direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
371k metro
Boston has 168.0x more events per month than Fort Collins.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
6
Fort Collins
categories won
Fort Collins wins on money. Boston has the edge on weather.
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