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→Pensacola
Pensacola is the Blue Angels' home base (you can watch their practices for free at the National Naval Aviation Museum), with sugar-white sand beaches on the Gulf and a charming historic district that goes back to the Spanish. It's the western-most Florida city, closer to New Orleans than to Miami in feel. Affordable, sunny, and serious about seafood.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,752/mo
$1,393/mo less than Boston (80%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$303k
$468k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,581/mo
Pensacola has $1,809/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
226 days
66 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
6 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Boston drops below 20°F on 33 more days per year than Pensacola.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
69 / 100
2.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
11 routes
92 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
530k metro
Boston has 6.5x more events per month than Pensacola.
the verdict
2
Boston
categories won
6
Pensacola
categories won
Pensacola wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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