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→El Paso
El Paso has the Franklin Mountains running right through the middle of the city (which is rare), with hiking trails inside city limits and the desert wide open just past the suburbs. The Mexican food is exceptional in ways that the rest of Texas doesn't quite match (it's true regional border food). Ciudad Juarez is literally next door across the Rio Grande. The light at sunset is unreal.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,473/mo
$1,417/mo less than San Diego (96%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$231k
$779k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,860/mo
El Paso has $2,192/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
222 days
110 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
60 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
1 days
days below 20°F per year
El Paso has 60 more days above 95°F each year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
65 / 100
10.0 pts behind San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
13 routes
42 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
872k metro
San Diego has 5.8x more events per month than El Paso.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
El Paso
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, El Paso wins on money. Dead even.
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