landable/cost of living comparison
vs

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

Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem is Moravian cookie traditions, old tobacco wealth (R.J. Reynolds), and Krispy Kreme's hometown (the original hot doughnut sign is still here). Old Salem is a living history Moravian village downtown. The food scene has picked up nicely, the arts scene leans on the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Slower-paced than its Triad neighbors. A little secret.

full dispatch

02 · the money

Median rent

$2,813/mo

$1,508/mo

$1,305/mo less than Salinas (87%)

Median home price

$862k

$283k

$579k less than Salinas

State income tax

9.3%

4.5%

Gross left after rent

$4,745/mo

$6,450/mo

Winston-Salem has $1,705/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

335 days

186 days

149 fewer than Salinas

Extreme heat days

0 days

8 days

days above 95°F per year

Extreme cold days

0 days

6 days

days below 20°F per year

Winston-Salem has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Salinas. Winston-Salem drops below 20°F on 6 more days per year than Salinas.

04 · the life

OutdoorScore

71 / 100

54 / 100

17.0 pts behind Salinas

Walk Score®

79 / 100

71 / 100

8 pts behind Salinas

Nonstop flights

6 routes

0 routes

6 fewer direct routes than Salinas

Metro size

431k metro

696k metro

the verdict

5

Salinas

categories won

of 9

4

Winston-Salem

categories won

Salinas wins on weather and lifestyle. Winston-Salem has the edge on money.

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 cities

We 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