01 · the cities
Eugene
Eugene is Track Town USA (Hayward Field is the spiritual home of American distance running), the University of Oregon, and a hippie-academic-outdoorsy culture that's been here since the '60s and isn't going anywhere. The Willamette and McKenzie rivers meet just outside town. Saturday Market downtown has been running for over 50 years. Coffee and craft beer are taken seriously. Misty in winter, glorious in summer.
full dispatch→Reno
Reno calls itself the Biggest Little City in the World and means it: casinos and neon, sure, but also a quietly cool downtown, a strong outdoor culture (Tahoe is 45 minutes south), and the Truckee River running right through the middle of everything. The University of Nevada keeps things young. Burning Man buses depart from here every August. Sunnier and drier than people expect.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,799/mo
$1,908/mo
$109/mo more than Eugene (6%)
Median home price
Median home price
$456k
$574k
$119k more than Eugene
State income tax
State income tax
8.8%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,805/mo
$6,425/mo
Reno has $620/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
206 days
201 days
5 fewer than Eugene
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
4 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
1 days
28 days
days below 20°F per year
Reno drops below 20°F on 27 more days per year than Eugene.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
71 / 100
4.0 pts behind Eugene
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
9 routes
13 routes
4 more direct routes than Eugene
Metro size
Metro size
381k metro
565k metro
Eugene has 3.8x fewer events per month than Reno.
the verdict
5
Eugene
categories won
3
Reno
categories won
Eugene leads on weather and wins overall.
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