01 · the cities
Lakeland
Lakeland has the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world, on the Florida Southern College campus (designed in the 1940s, all skylights and copper). The city sits between Tampa and Orlando, with actual swans patrolling its namesake downtown lake (the city even has a swan management program). Publix is headquartered here, which Floridians treat as a point of pride.
full dispatch→Raleigh
Raleigh is the third leg of the Research Triangle, full of oaks (its nickname is the City of Oaks), state museums that are all free, and a downtown that's grown up fast without losing its quiet edges. NC State pumps young energy in, the food scene is sneaky-good, and the surrounding pine forests make summer evenings smell incredible. Beaches are two hours east, mountains three hours west.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,834/mo
$1,663/mo
$171/mo less than Lakeland (10%)
Median home price
Median home price
$301k
$440k
$139k more than Lakeland
State income tax
State income tax
0%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,499/mo
$6,295/mo
Lakeland has $204/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 Lakeland
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
13 days
5 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
3 days
days below 20°F per year
Lakeland has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Raleigh.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
48 / 100
58 / 100
10.0 pts ahead of Lakeland
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
68 routes
39 routes
29 fewer direct routes than Lakeland
Metro size
Metro size
818k metro
1.5M metro
Lakeland has 3.9x fewer events per month than Raleigh.
the verdict
5
Lakeland
categories won
3
Raleigh
categories won
Lakeland leads on money and wins overall.
run your numbers
How far does your Lakeland salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works