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→Kingsport
Kingsport is a planned 'model city' built by the Eastman Chemical Company in the early 1900s, with a downtown laid out in deliberate grids and the company still dominating the local economy. It's in the Tri-Cities area (with Bristol and Johnson City), tucked into the Appalachian foothills. Bays Mountain Park and the South Fork Holston River give it strong outdoor access. Quietly orderly.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,383/mo
$1,762/mo less than Boston (127%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$244k
$527k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,950/mo
Kingsport has $2,178/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
188 days
28 more 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
15 days
days below 20°F per year
Boston drops below 20°F on 18 more days per year than Kingsport.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
59 / 100
12.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
4 routes
99 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
312k metro
Boston has 21.0x more events per month than Kingsport.
the verdict
2
Boston
categories won
6
Kingsport
categories won
Kingsport wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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