01 · the cities
Cleveland
Cleveland is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the West Side Market's 100+ years of pierogies and bratwurst, and Lake Erie sunsets that put the coastal hype to shame. The Cuyahoga River caught fire so many times it inspired the Clean Water Act. The Cleveland Orchestra is consistently ranked among the world's best. Summers on the lake are gorgeous, and the food scene is having a real moment.
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
$1,419/mo
$1,411/mo
Median home price
Median home price
$252k
$277k
$25k more than Cleveland
State income tax
State income tax
4.0%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,582/mo
$6,531/mo
Cleveland has $51/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
159 days
174 days
15 more than Cleveland
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
5 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
27 days
22 days
days below 20°F per year
St. Louis has 5 more days above 95°F each year than Cleveland. Cleveland drops below 20°F on 5 more days per year than St. Louis.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
63 / 100
68 / 100
5.0 pts ahead of Cleveland
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
56 routes
60 routes
4 more direct routes than Cleveland
Metro size
Metro size
2.2M metro
2.8M metro
Cleveland and St. Louis have similar event volume.
the verdict
4
Cleveland
categories won
4
St. Louis
categories won
Cleveland wins on money, St. Louis wins on weather and lifestyle. Dead even.
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