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→Reading
Reading is the Pagoda lit up on Mount Penn (a Japanese-style pavilion built in 1908 that's become the city symbol), old factory bones, and the surrounding Berks County farmland. The downtown food and art scene is growing into the old factory bones, with breweries and galleries opening steadily. Pretzels, scrapple, and Pennsylvania Dutch baking are everywhere. Cheaper than nearby Lancaster.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,995/mo
$1,478/mo
$1,517/mo less than Oxnard (103%)
Median home price
Median home price
$923k
$311k
$612k less than Oxnard
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,563/mo
$6,600/mo
Reading has $2,037/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
157 days
185 fewer than Oxnard
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
2 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
32 days
days below 20°F per year
Reading drops below 20°F on 32 more days per year than Oxnard.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
74 / 100
65 / 100
9.0 pts behind Oxnard
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
0 routes
0 routes
Metro size
Metro size
830k metro
433k metro
Oxnard has 1.2x fewer events per month than Reading.
the verdict
3
Oxnard
categories won
4
Reading
categories won
Reading wins on money. Oxnard has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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