01 · the cities
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 88 cities pretending to be one, connected by freeways and a shared love of really good tacos. Every neighborhood is its own scene: surfers in Venice, the Korean grandmas of K-town, mountains rising behind Pasadena, Persian rugs in Westwood. The light at golden hour is so good it makes Instagram filters jealous. Roll the windows down at golden hour, put on a playlist, and let the city stretch out.
full dispatch→Albuquerque
Albuquerque is green chile on everything, the Sandia Mountains turning pink at sunset (the name literally means watermelon), and the Balloon Fiesta in October when 500+ hot air balloons fill the sky. The old town adobes feel like the 1700s, the food fuses Native, Mexican, and Spanish in ways you won't get anywhere else. Breaking Bad fans will recognize half the city, and locals are good-natured about it.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,899/mo
$1,489/mo
$1,410/mo less than Los Angeles (95%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$351k
$678k less than Los Angeles
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,659/mo
$6,353/mo
Albuquerque has $1,694/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
283 days
205 days
78 fewer than Los Angeles
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
34 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
6 days
days below 20°F per year
Albuquerque has 15 more days above 95°F each year than Los Angeles. Albuquerque drops below 20°F on 6 more days per year than Los Angeles.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
67 / 100
81 / 100
14.0 pts ahead of Los Angeles
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
150 routes
23 routes
127 fewer direct routes than Los Angeles
Metro size
Metro size
12.8M metro
924k metro
Los Angeles has 8.3x more events per month than Albuquerque.
the verdict
4
Los Angeles
categories won
5
Albuquerque
categories won
Albuquerque wins on money. Los Angeles has the edge on weather.
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