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→Rochester
Rochester is the city that Kodak and Xerox built, with a quiet college-town soul (UofR, RIT, Eastman School of Music). The Garbage Plate (cheeseburger, mac salad, home fries, hot sauce, on one plate) is the closest thing to a citywide handshake. Frederick Douglass made his home here, and the Susan B. Anthony House is downtown. The Finger Lakes wine country is right next door.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,534/mo
$1,611/mo less than Boston (105%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$273k
$497k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,312/mo
Rochester has $1,540/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
147 days
13 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
48 days
days below 20°F per year
Rochester drops below 20°F on 15 more days per year than Boston.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
58 / 100
13.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
18 routes
85 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
1.1M metro
Boston has 5.6x more events per month than Rochester.
the verdict
5
Boston
categories won
3
Rochester
categories won
Boston wins on weather and lifestyle. Rochester has the edge on money.
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