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→Lancaster
Lancaster is the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country, with horse-drawn buggies on rural roads and the Central Market (the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country, since the 1730s). The food scene is sneaky-strong, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous, and the city's downtown has come back nicely. Whoopie pies, shoofly pies, and sticky buns are mandatory.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,665/mo
$1,517/mo
$1,148/mo less than Miami (76%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$384k
$181k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,561/mo
Lancaster has $893/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
158 days
114 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
25 days
days below 20°F per year
Lancaster drops below 20°F on 25 more days per year than Miami.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
77 / 100
63 / 100
14.0 pts behind Miami
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
167 routes
1 routes
166 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
559k metro
Miami has 65.7x more events per month than Lancaster.
the verdict
5
Miami
categories won
3
Lancaster
categories won
Miami wins on weather and lifestyle. Lancaster has the edge on money.
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