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→Lancaster
Lancaster is the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country, with horse-drawn buggies on rural roads and the Central Market (the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country, since the 1730s). The food scene is sneaky-strong, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous, and the city's downtown has come back nicely. Whoopie pies, shoofly pies, and sticky buns are mandatory.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,995/mo
$1,517/mo
$1,478/mo less than Oxnard (97%)
Median home price
Median home price
$923k
$384k
$539k less than Oxnard
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,563/mo
$6,561/mo
Lancaster has $1,998/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
158 days
184 fewer than Oxnard
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
25 days
days below 20°F per year
Lancaster drops below 20°F on 25 more days per year than Oxnard.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
74 / 100
63 / 100
11.0 pts behind Oxnard
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
0 routes
1 routes
Metro size
Metro size
830k metro
559k metro
Oxnard has 1.6x more events per month than Lancaster.
the verdict
3
Oxnard
categories won
4
Lancaster
categories won
Lancaster wins on money. Oxnard has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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