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→Knoxville
Knoxville is the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains (the most-visited national park in the country, 30 minutes east), the University of Tennessee's Vol energy, and the gold-roofed Sunsphere left over from the 1982 World's Fair. Market Square downtown is brick, patios, and a Saturday farmers market that takes over the whole space. The food and bar scene has come into its own. The mountains do the heavy lifting.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,665/mo
$1,731/mo
$934/mo less than Miami (54%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$364k
$201k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,602/mo
Knoxville has $934/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
189 days
83 fewer than Miami
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
9 days
days below 20°F per year
Knoxville drops below 20°F on 9 more days per year than Miami.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
77 / 100
69 / 100
8.0 pts behind Miami
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
167 routes
17 routes
150 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
947k metro
Miami has 23.5x more events per month than Knoxville.
the verdict
4
Miami
categories won
3
Knoxville
categories won
Miami wins on weather and lifestyle. Knoxville has the edge on money.
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