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→Huntsville
Huntsville is Rocket City, with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the Saturn V rocket on display at the Space and Rocket Center, and a tech and engineering economy that punches way above the city's size. Cummings Research Park is the second-largest research park in the U.S. The Tennessee River and Monte Sano State Park give it a quiet outdoor side. Affordable and surprisingly smart.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,665/mo
$1,374/mo
$1,291/mo less than Miami (94%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$316k
$249k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
5.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,543/mo
Huntsville has $875/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
177 days
95 fewer than Miami
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
13 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
6 days
days below 20°F per year
Huntsville has 13 more days above 95°F each year than Miami. Huntsville drops below 20°F on 6 more days per year than Miami.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
77 / 100
58 / 100
19.0 pts behind Miami
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
167 routes
9 routes
158 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
527k metro
Miami has 30.8x more events per month than Huntsville.
the verdict
6
Miami
categories won
3
Huntsville
categories won
Miami wins on weather and lifestyle. Huntsville has the edge on money.
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