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→Fort Collins
Fort Collins is the home of New Belgium Brewing (Fat Tire's origin) and a thriving craft beer scene with more breweries than Boulder. Old Town's brick streets and historic storefronts are charming enough that they're said to have influenced Disney's Main Street USA designers. CSU keeps the energy young. The foothills rise right outside town, and Rocky Mountain National Park is an hour away. Quieter than Boulder, less expensive.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,899/mo
$1,971/mo
$928/mo less than Los Angeles (47%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$572k
$457k less than Los Angeles
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.4%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,659/mo
$5,996/mo
Fort Collins has $1,337/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
177 days
106 fewer than Los Angeles
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
11 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
44 days
days below 20°F per year
Los Angeles has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Fort Collins. Fort Collins drops below 20°F on 44 more days per year than Los Angeles.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
67 / 100
69 / 100
2.0 pts ahead of Los Angeles
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
150 routes
169 routes
19 more direct routes than Los Angeles
Metro size
Metro size
12.8M metro
371k metro
Los Angeles has 348.0x more events per month than Fort Collins.
the verdict
2
Los Angeles
categories won
7
Fort Collins
categories won
Fort Collins wins on money and lifestyle. Los Angeles has the edge on weather.
run your numbers
How far does your Los Angeles 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