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→Sarasota
Sarasota is the home of the Ringling Brothers Circus (the museum is wild, and yes, there's a vintage clown college history), and Siesta Key's beach is regularly named the best in America for its pure quartz sand. The cultural scene is heavy for a Florida city of its size (theater, opera, art museum). Gulf sunsets here are the brochure shot. The food scene has caught up to the city's wealth and the retirees' time.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,727/mo
$2,121/mo
$394/mo more than Myrtle Beach (19%)
Median home price
Median home price
$361k
$423k
$62k more than Myrtle Beach
State income tax
State income tax
6.5%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,065/mo
$6,212/mo
Sarasota has $147/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
249 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Myrtle Beach and Sarasota have remarkably similar weather profiles overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
58 / 100
59 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
23 routes
6 routes
17 fewer direct routes than Myrtle Beach
Metro size
Metro size
397k metro
262k metro
Myrtle Beach has 7.7x more events per month than Sarasota.
the verdict
3
Myrtle Beach
categories won
2
Sarasota
categories won
Myrtle Beach leads on lifestyle and wins overall.
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