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→Rochester
Rochester is the city that Kodak and Xerox built, with a quiet college-town soul (UofR, RIT, Eastman School of Music). The Garbage Plate (cheeseburger, mac salad, home fries, hot sauce, on one plate) is the closest thing to a citywide handshake. Frederick Douglass made his home here, and the Susan B. Anthony House is downtown. The Finger Lakes wine country is right next door.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,665/mo
$1,534/mo
$1,131/mo less than Miami (74%)
Median home price
Median home price
$565k
$273k
$291k less than Miami
State income tax
State income tax
0%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,668/mo
$6,312/mo
Rochester has $644/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
147 days
125 fewer than Miami
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
48 days
days below 20°F per year
Rochester drops below 20°F on 48 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
18 routes
149 fewer direct routes than Miami
Metro size
Metro size
6.2M metro
1.1M metro
Miami has 32.9x more events per month than Rochester.
the verdict
5
Miami
categories won
3
Rochester
categories won
Miami wins on weather and lifestyle. Rochester has the edge on money.
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