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→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
$2,813/mo
$1,517/mo
$1,296/mo less than Salinas (85%)
Median home price
Median home price
$862k
$384k
$478k less than Salinas
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,745/mo
$6,561/mo
Lancaster has $1,816/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
158 days
177 fewer than Salinas
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 Salinas.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
63 / 100
8.0 pts behind Salinas
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
6 routes
1 routes
5 fewer direct routes than Salinas
Metro size
Metro size
431k metro
559k metro
the verdict
4
Salinas
categories won
4
Lancaster
categories won
Salinas wins on weather and lifestyle, Lancaster wins on money. Dead even.
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