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→Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach has hard-packed sand you can actually drive your car on (yes, on the beach, it's a tradition). The Daytona 500 brings NASCAR to town every February and shakes the whole city awake. Bike Week is its own beast. Outside of the events, it's a quieter Florida beach town than its reputation suggests, with affordable oceanfront and the Halifax River making the geography interesting.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,784/mo
$1,106/mo less than San Diego (62%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$331k
$680k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,549/mo
Daytona Beach has $1,881/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
212 days
120 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
11 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Daytona Beach has 11 more days above 95°F each year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
63 / 100
12.0 pts behind San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
2 routes
53 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
722k metro
San Diego has 12.4x more events per month than Daytona Beach.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
Daytona Beach
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, Daytona Beach wins on money. Dead even.
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