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→Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge is LSU football, the Mississippi River bending past downtown, and the kind of food (gumbo, jambalaya, boudin, po'boys) that makes you want to lie down after lunch. The Louisiana state capitol is the tallest in the country, a 34-story Art Deco tower that looks more like a Manhattan office building. Cajun warmth runs through everything, with a slightly more buttoned-up daily pace than New Orleans.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,665/mo
$1,361/mo
$1,304/mo less than Miami (96%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$250k
$314k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
3.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,722/mo
Baton Rouge has $1,054/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
187 days
85 fewer than Miami
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
25 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
1 days
days below 20°F per year
Baton Rouge has 25 more days above 95°F each year than Miami.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
77 / 100
50 / 100
27.0 pts behind Miami
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
167 routes
4 routes
163 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
874k metro
Miami has 65.7x more events per month than Baton Rouge.
the verdict
5
Miami
categories won
3
Baton Rouge
categories won
Miami wins on weather and lifestyle. Baton Rouge has the edge on money.
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