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→Gainesville
Gainesville is the University of Florida, the Gators, and a college town with serious natural assets: 30+ named springs within an hour's drive, including Ginnie, Devil's Den, and Ichetucknee for tubing. The food scene is solid and cheap (it's still a college town), and downtown's grown up with breweries and music venues. Surrounded by oak forests and prairie. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers got their start here.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,899/mo
$1,645/mo
$1,254/mo less than Los Angeles (76%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$317k
$713k less than Los Angeles
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,659/mo
$6,688/mo
Gainesville has $2,029/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
206 days
77 fewer than Los Angeles
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 days
17 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Los Angeles edges ahead on pleasant days, but both cities have comparable comfort overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
67 / 100
63 / 100
4.0 pts behind Los Angeles
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
150 routes
5 routes
145 fewer direct routes than Los Angeles
Metro size
Metro size
12.8M metro
350k metro
Los Angeles has 116.0x more events per month than Gainesville.
the verdict
3
Los Angeles
categories won
4
Gainesville
categories won
Gainesville wins on money. Los Angeles has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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