01 · the cities
San Diego
San Diego is the city most Californians secretly wish they lived in: 70°F, sunny, and a beach for every mood. Fish tacos are religion, Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park and packed with museums, and the craft beer scene is one of the best in the country. The zoo is world-famous and the burritos are aggressively underrated. Even the freeways feel relaxed here.
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
$2,890/mo
$1,489/mo
$1,401/mo less than San Diego (94%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$351k
$659k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,353/mo
Albuquerque has $1,685/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
332 days
205 days
127 fewer than San Diego
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 San Diego. Albuquerque drops below 20°F on 6 more days per year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
81 / 100
6.0 pts ahead of San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
23 routes
32 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
924k metro
San Diego has 4.1x more events per month than Albuquerque.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
5
Albuquerque
categories won
Albuquerque wins on money. San Diego has the edge on weather.
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