01 · the cities
Columbus
Columbus is Ohio State on autumn Saturdays (the Horseshoe holds 100,000+ and they all wear scarlet), German Village's cobblestone streets and brick cottages, and a Short North gallery scene that punches well above its weight. It's quietly become a test market for the rest of America because the demographics line up so neatly. The food scene leans young, weird, and good. 'Buckeyes' here can mean either the football team or the chocolate-peanut-butter candy.
full dispatch→Kansas City
Kansas City is barbecue (burnt ends are a local invention), jazz (the 18th and Vine district fed Charlie Parker and Count Basie), and fountains everywhere you turn. The city straddles two states and doesn't make a big deal out of it. The Plaza shopping district looks like Seville, which is delightfully odd for the Midwest. Friendly here means genuinely friendly.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,511/mo
$1,502/mo
Median home price
Median home price
$350k
$326k
$24k less than Columbus
State income tax
State income tax
4.0%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,490/mo
$6,440/mo
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
171 days
170 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
8 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
29 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
Kansas City has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Columbus.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
57 / 100
56 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
32 routes
43 routes
11 more direct routes than Columbus
Metro size
Metro size
2.2M metro
2.2M metro
Columbus has 1.4x more events per month than Kansas City.
the verdict
3
Columbus
categories won
2
Kansas City
categories won
Columbus wins on money and weather. Kansas City has the edge on lifestyle.
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