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→Lancaster
Lancaster is the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country, with horse-drawn buggies on rural roads and the Central Market (the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country, since the 1730s). The food scene is sneaky-strong, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous, and the city's downtown has come back nicely. Whoopie pies, shoofly pies, and sticky buns are mandatory.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,517/mo
$1,373/mo less than San Diego (91%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$384k
$627k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,561/mo
Lancaster has $1,893/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
158 days
174 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
25 days
days below 20°F per year
Lancaster drops below 20°F on 25 more days per 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
1 routes
54 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
559k metro
San Diego has 11.6x more events per month than Lancaster.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
Lancaster
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, Lancaster wins on money. Dead even.
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