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→Huntsville
Huntsville is Rocket City, with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the Saturn V rocket on display at the Space and Rocket Center, and a tech and engineering economy that punches way above the city's size. Cummings Research Park is the second-largest research park in the U.S. The Tennessee River and Monte Sano State Park give it a quiet outdoor side. Affordable and surprisingly smart.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,374/mo
$1,771/mo less than Boston (129%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$316k
$455k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
5.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,543/mo
Huntsville has $1,771/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
13 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
6 days
days below 20°F per year
Huntsville has 11 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 27 more days per year than Huntsville.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
58 / 100
13.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
9 routes
94 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
527k metro
Boston has 5.3x more events per month than Huntsville.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
5
Huntsville
categories won
Huntsville wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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