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→Lafayette
Lafayette is the unofficial capital of Cajun country, with zydeco music spilling out of dance halls, crawfish boils that count as social events, and gumbo so dark and rich it should be served with a nap. Mardi Gras here is huge but more family-friendly than New Orleans. The food (boudin, etouffee, cracklins) is the main reason to be here. Friendly in a way that's hard to fake.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,332/mo
$1,813/mo less than Boston (136%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$200k
$571k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
3.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,751/mo
Lafayette has $1,979/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
211 days
51 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
7 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Lafayette has 5 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 33 more days per year than Lafayette.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
43 / 100
28.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
3 routes
100 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
414k metro
Boston has 33.6x more events per month than Lafayette.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
6
Lafayette
categories won
Lafayette wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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