01 · the cities
New Haven
New Haven invented apizza (that's a-PEETS, the local New Haven Italian style), and Frank Pepe's claims the white clam pie as their original. Yale anchors the city with its Gothic spires and museums (the Yale University Art Gallery is free and exceptional). The Long Island Sound is right there, and the city's a 90-minute train ride to Grand Central. Pizza-pilgrimage worthy on its own.
full dispatch→Allentown
Allentown is the heart of the Lehigh Valley, with old industrial bones turning into a quietly resilient mid-sized city. The Lehigh River runs past, the historic downtown has been steadily finding its footing with breweries and restaurants in the old buildings, and the surrounding farmland is gorgeous. It's an hour and change from both Philly and NYC. Cheaper than both, by a lot.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,089/mo
$1,809/mo
$280/mo less than New Haven (15%)
Median home price
Median home price
$424k
$359k
$64k less than New Haven
State income tax
State income tax
5.5%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$5,786/mo
$6,269/mo
Allentown has $483/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
155 days
157 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
1 days
2 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
40 days
32 days
days below 20°F per year
New Haven drops below 20°F on 8 more days per year than Allentown.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
67 / 100
73 / 100
6.0 pts ahead of New Haven
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
9 routes
8 more direct routes than New Haven
Metro size
Metro size
568k metro
874k metro
New Haven has 1.5x fewer events per month than Allentown.
the verdict
0
New Haven
categories won
7
Allentown
categories won
Allentown wins this comparison, leading on money and weather.
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