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→Louisville
Louisville is bourbon, the Derby, Muhammad Ali, and the Hot Brown sandwich (an open-faced turkey-and-cheese situation invented at the Brown Hotel). Derby week is a citywide event where people dress like they're at a wedding for a horse. The Highlands neighborhood has the best dive bars, the Urban Bourbon Trail downtown takes a full weekend. Pronounce it 'Loo-uh-vul' and you'll fit in.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,813/mo
$1,368/mo
$1,445/mo less than Salinas (106%)
Median home price
Median home price
$862k
$282k
$579k less than Salinas
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,745/mo
$6,590/mo
Louisville has $1,845/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
181 days
154 fewer than Salinas
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
15 days
days below 20°F per year
Louisville drops below 20°F on 15 more days per year than Salinas.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
54 / 100
17.0 pts behind Salinas
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
6 routes
22 routes
16 more direct routes than Salinas
Metro size
Metro size
431k metro
1.4M metro
the verdict
3
Salinas
categories won
5
Louisville
categories won
Louisville wins on money. Salinas has the edge on weather.
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