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→New Haven
New Haven invented apizza (that's a-PEETS, the local New Haven Italian style), and Frank Pepe's claims the white clam pie as their original. Yale anchors the city with its Gothic spires and museums (the Yale University Art Gallery is free and exceptional). The Long Island Sound is right there, and the city's a 90-minute train ride to Grand Central. Pizza-pilgrimage worthy on its own.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$2,089/mo
$1,056/mo less than Boston (51%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$424k
$347k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
5.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$5,786/mo
New Haven has $1,014/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
155 days
5 fewer 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
40 days
days below 20°F per year
New Haven drops below 20°F on 7 more days per year than Boston.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
67 / 100
4.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
1 routes
102 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
568k metro
Boston has 9.3x more events per month than New Haven.
the verdict
5
Boston
categories won
3
New Haven
categories won
Boston wins on weather and lifestyle. New Haven has the edge on money.
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