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→Lafayette
Lafayette is the unofficial capital of Cajun country, with zydeco music spilling out of dance halls, crawfish boils that count as social events, and gumbo so dark and rich it should be served with a nap. Mardi Gras here is huge but more family-friendly than New Orleans. The food (boudin, etouffee, cracklins) is the main reason to be here. Friendly in a way that's hard to fake.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,332/mo
$1,558/mo less than San Diego (117%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$200k
$810k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
3.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,751/mo
Lafayette has $2,083/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
211 days
121 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
7 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Lafayette has 7 more days above 95°F each year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
43 / 100
32.0 pts behind San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
3 routes
52 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
414k metro
San Diego has 34.8x more events per month than Lafayette.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
Lafayette
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, Lafayette wins on money. Dead even.
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