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→Spartanburg
Spartanburg is the Upstate of South Carolina, with rolling foothills, peach orchards (yes, South Carolina actually grows more peaches than Georgia in some years), and the largest BMW manufacturing plant in the world just outside town. The downtown's been revitalizing with breweries and restaurants. Wofford and Converse keep college energy in town. The Blue Ridge is right there.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,434/mo
$1,711/mo less than Boston (119%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$277k
$493k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
6.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,358/mo
Spartanburg has $1,586/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
191 days
31 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
16 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
4 days
days below 20°F per year
Spartanburg has 14 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 29 more days per year than Spartanburg.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
68 / 100
3.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
20 routes
83 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
383k metro
Boston has 11.2x more events per month than Spartanburg.
the verdict
4
Boston
categories won
5
Spartanburg
categories won
Spartanburg wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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