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→Olympia
Olympia is the Washington state capital, much smaller and chiller than Seattle. Evergreen State College gives it a hippie-anarchist energy (the riot grrrl music movement essentially started here, with Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney's name coming from a local road). The capitol dome is one of the tallest in the country. Puget Sound oysters are the regional star. Mossy, mellow, and underrated.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,991/mo
$1,154/mo less than Boston (58%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$533k
$238k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,342/mo
Olympia has $1,570/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
182 days
22 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
2 days
days below 20°F per year
Boston drops below 20°F on 31 more days per year than Olympia.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
80 / 100
9.0 pts ahead of Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
90 routes
13 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
299k metro
the verdict
1
Boston
categories won
7
Olympia
categories won
Olympia wins this comparison, leading on money and weather.
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