01 · the cities
Miami
Miami is Spanish before it's English, salsa before it's small talk, and a cortadito before it's a coffee. South Beach Art Deco glows pink at night, Wynwood is a city-sized mural, and the Cuban sandwiches in Little Havana could end fights. Summer is bath-warm ocean and ceiling fans turned up high, and October feels like everywhere else's perfect August. Bring linen.
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
$2,665/mo
$1,489/mo
$1,176/mo less than Miami (79%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$351k
$213k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,353/mo
Albuquerque has $685/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
272 days
205 days
67 fewer than Miami
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 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 34 more days above 95°F each year than Miami. Albuquerque drops below 20°F on 6 more days per year than Miami.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
77 / 100
81 / 100
4.0 pts ahead of Miami
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
167 routes
23 routes
144 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
924k metro
Miami has 23.5x more events per month than Albuquerque.
the verdict
5
Miami
categories won
4
Albuquerque
categories won
Miami wins on weather. Albuquerque has the edge on money.
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