01 · the cities
Salinas
Salinas is the Salad Bowl of the World, where most of the country's leafy greens, strawberries, and broccoli come from. John Steinbeck grew up here and the National Steinbeck Center downtown is excellent. The Salinas Rodeo is a century-old summer event. The Monterey Bay is 20 minutes west, but the city itself is a working ag town with strong Mexican-American culture.
full dispatch→Albuquerque
Albuquerque is green chile on everything, the Sandia Mountains turning pink at sunset (the name literally means watermelon), and the Balloon Fiesta in October when 500+ hot air balloons fill the sky. The old town adobes feel like the 1700s, the food fuses Native, Mexican, and Spanish in ways you won't get anywhere else. Breaking Bad fans will recognize half the city, and locals are good-natured about it.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,813/mo
$1,489/mo
$1,324/mo less than Salinas (89%)
Median home price
Median home price
$862k
$351k
$510k less than Salinas
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,745/mo
$6,353/mo
Albuquerque has $1,608/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
335 days
205 days
130 fewer than Salinas
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
34 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
6 days
days below 20°F per year
Albuquerque has 34 more days above 95°F each year than Salinas. Albuquerque drops below 20°F on 6 more days per year than Salinas.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
81 / 100
10.0 pts ahead of Salinas
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
6 routes
23 routes
17 more direct routes than Salinas
Metro size
Metro size
431k metro
924k metro
the verdict
3
Salinas
categories won
6
Albuquerque
categories won
Albuquerque wins on money and lifestyle. Salinas has the edge on weather.
run your numbers
How far does your Salinas salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works