01 · the cities
Durham
Durham is Duke University, old tobacco warehouses turned into incredible restaurants and breweries (the American Tobacco Campus is a model for adaptive reuse), and a food scene that punches way above its size (multiple James Beard winners). Bull City pride runs deep. The Eno River and Duke Gardens are right in town. It's more diverse, weirder, and more interesting than outsiders expect.
full dispatch→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→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,684/mo
$1,511/mo
$173/mo less than Durham (11%)
Median home price
Median home price
$415k
$350k
$65k less than Durham
State income tax
State income tax
4.5%
4.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,274/mo
$6,490/mo
Columbus has $216/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
178 days
171 days
7 fewer than Durham
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
5 days
29 days
days below 20°F per year
Durham has 19 more days above 95°F each year than Columbus. Columbus drops below 20°F on 24 more days per year than Durham.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
50 / 100
57 / 100
7.0 pts ahead of Durham
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
39 routes
32 routes
7 fewer direct routes than Durham
Metro size
Metro size
609k metro
2.2M metro
Durham has 3.3x fewer events per month than Columbus.
the verdict
3
Durham
categories won
6
Columbus
categories won
Columbus wins on money. Durham has the edge on weather.
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