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→St. Louis
St. Louis has the Arch (catenary curve and engineering marvel), Forest Park (bigger than Central Park and home to a free zoo, art museum, and history museum), and toasted ravioli, which was invented here. The Cardinals are a religion, the Hill neighborhood is wall-to-wall Italian red sauce, and Imo's makes pizza with Provel cheese that locals defend furiously. The skyline at sunset is underrated.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$1,411/mo
$1,734/mo less than Boston (123%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$277k
$494k less than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$6,531/mo
St. Louis has $1,759/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
174 days
14 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
5 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
22 days
days below 20°F per year
Boston drops below 20°F on 11 more days per year than St. Louis.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
68 / 100
3.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
60 routes
43 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
2.8M metro
Boston has 2.1x more events per month than St. Louis.
the verdict
2
Boston
categories won
6
St. Louis
categories won
St. Louis wins on money and weather. Boston has the edge on lifestyle.
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