01 · the cities
Oxnard
Oxnard is California's strawberry capital, where the fields literally run up to the beach. Channel Islands Harbor is a quiet alternative to the busier Ventura and Santa Barbara, with great seafood and a chill Mexican food scene. The weather is the perfect 65-and-overcast that locals call 'June gloom' for most of summer. The Channel Islands themselves are a ferry ride away.
full dispatch→Des Moines
Des Moines is the Iowa State Fair every August (think butter cows, deep-fried everything, and the political circus of every presidential cycle), insurance industry stability, and a downtown that's grown into a genuinely good food and brewery scene. The East Village neighborhood is the cool kid pocket. The whole city is bikeable. Friendly, affordable, and chronically underestimated.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,995/mo
$1,268/mo
$1,727/mo less than Oxnard (136%)
Median home price
Median home price
$923k
$300k
$623k less than Oxnard
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
6.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,563/mo
$6,565/mo
Des Moines has $2,002/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
342 days
151 days
191 fewer than Oxnard
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
7 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
55 days
days below 20°F per year
Des Moines has 7 more days above 95°F each year than Oxnard. Des Moines drops below 20°F on 55 more days per year than Oxnard.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
74 / 100
55 / 100
19.0 pts behind Oxnard
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
0 routes
17 routes
17 more direct routes than Oxnard
Metro size
Metro size
830k metro
737k metro
Oxnard has 1.9x fewer events per month than Des Moines.
the verdict
4
Oxnard
categories won
5
Des Moines
categories won
Des Moines wins on money. Oxnard has the edge on weather.
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