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→Lakeland
Lakeland has the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world, on the Florida Southern College campus (designed in the 1940s, all skylights and copper). The city sits between Tampa and Orlando, with actual swans patrolling its namesake downtown lake (the city even has a swan management program). Publix is headquartered here, which Floridians treat as a point of pride.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,834/mo
$1,311/mo less than Boston (71%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$301k
$470k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,499/mo
Lakeland has $1,727/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
206 days
46 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
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Lakeland has 11 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 33 more days per year than Lakeland.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
48 / 100
23.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
68 routes
35 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
818k metro
Boston has 14.0x more events per month than Lakeland.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
6
Lakeland
categories won
Lakeland wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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