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→Springfield
Springfield is where basketball was invented in 1891 (the Basketball Hall of Fame is right here), and where Dr. Seuss grew up (there's a sculpture garden downtown). The city's old industrial buildings are slowly coming back, and the surrounding Pioneer Valley is one of the prettiest stretches in New England. UMass is just up the road. Quieter than Boston, much cheaper.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,913/mo
$977/mo less than San Diego (51%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$373k
$638k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,004/mo
Springfield has $1,336/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
147 days
185 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
47 days
days below 20°F per year
Springfield drops below 20°F on 47 more days per year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
66 / 100
9.0 pts behind San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
26 routes
29 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
460k metro
San Diego has 29.0x more events per month than Springfield.
the verdict
4
San Diego
categories won
4
Springfield
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle, Springfield wins on money. Dead even.
run your numbers
How far does your San Diego salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works