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→Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 88 cities pretending to be one, connected by freeways and a shared love of really good tacos. Every neighborhood is its own scene: surfers in Venice, the Korean grandmas of K-town, mountains rising behind Pasadena, Persian rugs in Westwood. The light at golden hour is so good it makes Instagram filters jealous. Roll the windows down at golden hour, put on a playlist, and let the city stretch out.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$2,899/mo
$246/mo less than Boston (8%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$1.0M
$259k more than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$4,659/mo
Boston has $113/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
283 days
123 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
19 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Los Angeles has 17 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 33 more days per year than Los Angeles.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
67 / 100
4.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
150 routes
47 more direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
12.8M metro
Boston has 2.1x fewer events per month than Los Angeles.
the verdict
5
Boston
categories won
4
Los Angeles
categories won
Boston wins on money. Los Angeles has the edge on weather.
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