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→Hartford
Hartford is the insurance capital of America (Aetna, Travelers, the works), with the steeple of the Travelers building visible from miles away. Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn in his weird and wonderful Hartford house, now a museum. The Connecticut River curves past downtown, and the surrounding small towns are New England postcard material. Quieter than its neighbors, with serious history.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,931/mo
$1,214/mo less than Boston (63%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$411k
$359k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
5.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$5,944/mo
Hartford has $1,172/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
148 days
12 fewer than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
47 days
days below 20°F per year
Hartford drops below 20°F on 14 more days per year than Boston.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
67 / 100
4.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
26 routes
77 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
1.2M metro
Boston has 5.8x more events per month than Hartford.
the verdict
5
Boston
categories won
3
Hartford
categories won
Boston wins on weather and lifestyle. Hartford has the edge on money.
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