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→Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi is the Texas Gulf coast city where Selena grew up (the memorial on the bayfront is moving). The USS Lexington aircraft carrier is permanently parked downtown as a museum. The beaches at Padre Island National Seashore are some of the longest undeveloped stretches of barrier island in the country. Sun-soaked, breezy, and salt-aired in equal measure.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,410/mo
$1,480/mo less than San Diego (105%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$221k
$789k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,923/mo
Corpus Christi has $2,255/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
171 days
161 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
55 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Corpus Christi has 55 more days above 95°F each year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
50 / 100
25.0 pts behind San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
4 routes
51 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
446k metro
San Diego has 10.2x more events per month than Corpus Christi.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
Corpus Christi
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, Corpus Christi wins on money. Dead even.
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