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→Boise
Boise is basically Denver before Denver got Denver-y: walkable downtown, foothills you can run into on your lunch break, and a river slicing right through the middle of town. The Basque Block downtown anchors the biggest Basque community in the U.S., which nobody sees coming. The vibe is 'we close our laptops and go outside,' and the trails make that very easy to do. Locals would prefer you didn't tell anyone.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,899/mo
$1,794/mo
$1,105/mo less than Los Angeles (62%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$490k
$539k less than Los Angeles
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.8%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,659/mo
$6,056/mo
Boise has $1,397/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
166 days
117 fewer than Los Angeles
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
27 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
24 days
days below 20°F per year
Boise has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Los Angeles. Boise drops below 20°F on 24 more days per year than Los Angeles.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
67 / 100
82 / 100
15.0 pts ahead of Los Angeles
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
150 routes
16 routes
134 fewer direct routes than Los Angeles
Metro size
Metro size
12.8M metro
827k metro
Los Angeles has 8.9x more events per month than Boise.
the verdict
4
Los Angeles
categories won
5
Boise
categories won
Boise wins on money. Los Angeles has the edge on weather.
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