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→Richmond
Richmond is one of the only major U.S. cities with class IV whitewater rapids running right through downtown. The James River's Belle Isle is a public park where people sunbathe on boulders mid-river. The Fan and Carytown neighborhoods are full of murals, vintage shops, and porches built for sitting. The food scene leans creative, the beer scene leans plentiful, and VCU keeps the arts energy buzzing.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,995/mo
$1,691/mo
$1,304/mo less than Oxnard (77%)
Median home price
Median home price
$923k
$394k
$529k less than Oxnard
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.8%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,563/mo
$6,163/mo
Richmond has $1,600/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
172 days
170 fewer than Oxnard
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
18 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
9 days
days below 20°F per year
Richmond has 18 more days above 95°F each year than Oxnard. Richmond drops below 20°F on 9 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
19 routes
19 more direct routes than Oxnard
Metro size
Metro size
830k metro
1.4M metro
Oxnard has 2.4x fewer events per month than Richmond.
the verdict
4
Oxnard
categories won
5
Richmond
categories won
Richmond wins on money. Oxnard has the edge on weather.
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