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→New Haven
New Haven invented apizza (that's a-PEETS, the local New Haven Italian style), and Frank Pepe's claims the white clam pie as their original. Yale anchors the city with its Gothic spires and museums (the Yale University Art Gallery is free and exceptional). The Long Island Sound is right there, and the city's a 90-minute train ride to Grand Central. Pizza-pilgrimage worthy on its own.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$2,089/mo
$801/mo less than San Diego (38%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$424k
$587k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$5,786/mo
New Haven has $1,118/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
155 days
177 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
40 days
days below 20°F per year
New Haven drops below 20°F on 40 more days per year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
67 / 100
8.0 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
568k metro
San Diego has 9.7x more events per month than New Haven.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
New Haven
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, New Haven wins on money. Dead even.
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