01 · the cities
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is beer (the Pabst and Miller legacy still hangs in the air), bratwurst (with the proper amount of mustard, please), and a Lake Michigan shoreline that goes on forever. Frozen custard is a regional specialty and a serious one. The Calatrava-designed art museum has wings that literally open and close on Lake Michigan. Friendly here means you'll have a new friend by the second beer.
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
$1,504/mo
$1,534/mo
Median home price
Median home price
$394k
$273k
$121k less than Milwaukee
State income tax
State income tax
6.3%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,307/mo
$6,312/mo
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
149 days
147 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
62 days
48 days
days below 20°F per year
Milwaukee drops below 20°F on 14 more days per year than Rochester.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
61 / 100
58 / 100
3.0 pts behind Milwaukee
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
30 routes
18 routes
12 fewer direct routes than Milwaukee
Metro size
Metro size
1.6M metro
1.1M metro
Milwaukee has 2.3x more events per month than Rochester.
the verdict
2
Milwaukee
categories won
4
Rochester
categories won
Rochester wins on money and weather. Milwaukee has the edge on lifestyle.
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