01 · the cities
Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach is the Grand Strand's anchor, with 60 miles of beach, more than 80 mini golf courses (it might be the mini golf capital of America), and a boardwalk packed with arcades and pancake houses. Calabash-style fried seafood is a thing. It's a family beach town, full stop, with affordable oceanfront and easy access to Charleston a few hours south.
full dispatch→Pensacola
Pensacola is the Blue Angels' home base (you can watch their practices for free at the National Naval Aviation Museum), with sugar-white sand beaches on the Gulf and a charming historic district that goes back to the Spanish. It's the western-most Florida city, closer to New Orleans than to Miami in feel. Affordable, sunny, and serious about seafood.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,727/mo
$1,752/mo
Median home price
Median home price
$361k
$303k
$58k less than Myrtle Beach
State income tax
State income tax
6.5%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,065/mo
$6,581/mo
Pensacola has $516/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
249 days
226 days
23 fewer than Myrtle Beach
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
6 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Pensacola has 6 more days above 95°F each year than Myrtle Beach.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
58 / 100
69 / 100
11.0 pts ahead of Myrtle Beach
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
23 routes
11 routes
12 fewer direct routes than Myrtle Beach
Metro size
Metro size
397k metro
530k metro
Myrtle Beach has 1.1x fewer events per month than Pensacola.
the verdict
3
Myrtle Beach
categories won
4
Pensacola
categories won
Pensacola wins on money. Myrtle Beach has the edge on weather.
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