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→Gainesville
Gainesville is the University of Florida, the Gators, and a college town with serious natural assets: 30+ named springs within an hour's drive, including Ginnie, Devil's Den, and Ichetucknee for tubing. The food scene is solid and cheap (it's still a college town), and downtown's grown up with breweries and music venues. Surrounded by oak forests and prairie. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers got their start here.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,645/mo
$1,245/mo less than San Diego (76%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$317k
$694k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,688/mo
Gainesville has $2,020/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
206 days
126 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
17 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Gainesville has 17 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
5 routes
50 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
350k metro
San Diego has 58.0x more events per month than Gainesville.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
Gainesville
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, Gainesville wins on money. Dead even.
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