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→Boise
Boise is basically Denver before Denver got Denver-y: walkable downtown, foothills you can run into on your lunch break, and a river slicing right through the middle of town. The Basque Block downtown anchors the biggest Basque community in the U.S., which nobody sees coming. The vibe is 'we close our laptops and go outside,' and the trails make that very easy to do. Locals would prefer you didn't tell anyone.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,794/mo
$1,096/mo less than San Diego (61%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$490k
$520k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.8%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,056/mo
Boise has $1,388/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
166 days
166 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
27 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
24 days
days below 20°F per year
Boise has 27 more days above 95°F each year than San Diego. Boise drops below 20°F on 24 more days per year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
82 / 100
7.0 pts ahead of San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
16 routes
39 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
827k metro
San Diego has 4.5x more events per month than Boise.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
5
Boise
categories won
Boise wins on money. San Diego has the edge on weather.
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