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→Louisville
Louisville is bourbon, the Derby, Muhammad Ali, and the Hot Brown sandwich (an open-faced turkey-and-cheese situation invented at the Brown Hotel). Derby week is a citywide event where people dress like they're at a wedding for a horse. The Highlands neighborhood has the best dive bars, the Urban Bourbon Trail downtown takes a full weekend. Pronounce it 'Loo-uh-vul' and you'll fit in.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,368/mo
$1,777/mo less than Boston (130%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$282k
$488k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,590/mo
Louisville has $1,818/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
181 days
21 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 Louisville.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
54 / 100
17.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
22 routes
81 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
1.4M metro
Boston has 1.8x more events per month than Louisville.
the verdict
2
Boston
categories won
6
Louisville
categories won
Louisville wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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