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→Sacramento
Sacramento is California's capital and California's pantry, sitting at the heart of one of the most productive farm regions on earth. The 'Farm to Fork' food movement isn't marketing here, it's just dinner. Two rivers meet downtown, summer afternoons are dry and hot enough to justify ice cream as a meal, and Tahoe is a two-hour drive when you need elevation. It's quieter than its big-city neighbors and likes it that way.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$2,226/mo
$919/mo less than Boston (41%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$589k
$182k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$5,332/mo
Sacramento has $560/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
211 days
51 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
56 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Sacramento has 54 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 33 more days per year than Sacramento.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
75 / 100
4.0 pts ahead of Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
28 routes
75 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
2.4M metro
Boston has 2.0x more events per month than Sacramento.
the verdict
3
Boston
categories won
6
Sacramento
categories won
Sacramento leads on money and weather and wins overall.
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