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→Lancaster
Lancaster is the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country, with horse-drawn buggies on rural roads and the Central Market (the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country, since the 1730s). The food scene is sneaky-strong, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous, and the city's downtown has come back nicely. Whoopie pies, shoofly pies, and sticky buns are mandatory.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,517/mo
$1,628/mo less than Boston (107%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$384k
$387k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,561/mo
Lancaster has $1,789/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
158 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
25 days
days below 20°F per year
Boston drops below 20°F on 8 more days per year than Lancaster.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
63 / 100
8.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
1 routes
102 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
559k metro
Boston has 11.2x more events per month than Lancaster.
the verdict
2
Boston
categories won
5
Lancaster
categories won
Lancaster wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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