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→Kansas City
Kansas City is barbecue (burnt ends are a local invention), jazz (the 18th and Vine district fed Charlie Parker and Count Basie), and fountains everywhere you turn. The city straddles two states and doesn't make a big deal out of it. The Plaza shopping district looks like Seville, which is delightfully odd for the Midwest. Friendly here means genuinely friendly.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,813/mo
$1,502/mo
$1,311/mo less than Salinas (87%)
Median home price
Median home price
$862k
$326k
$536k less than Salinas
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,745/mo
$6,440/mo
Kansas City has $1,695/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
170 days
165 fewer than Salinas
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
8 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
Kansas City has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Salinas. Kansas City drops below 20°F on 26 more days per year than Salinas.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
56 / 100
15.0 pts behind Salinas
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
6 routes
43 routes
37 more direct routes than Salinas
Metro size
Metro size
431k metro
2.2M metro
the verdict
4
Salinas
categories won
5
Kansas City
categories won
Kansas City wins on money. Salinas has the edge on weather.
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