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→Wichita
Wichita is the Air Capital of the World, with Cessna, Beechcraft, and major Spirit AeroSystems facilities all here. The Arkansas River runs through downtown, and the Old Town district has brick streets, breweries, and the kind of friendly Kansas pace that makes the rest of the country envious. The flatness is real, and the sunsets are enormous because of it.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$1,173/mo
$1,717/mo less than San Diego (146%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$221k
$789k less than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$6,685/mo
Wichita has $2,017/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
164 days
168 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
30 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
20 days
days below 20°F per year
Wichita has 30 more days above 95°F each year than San Diego. Wichita drops below 20°F on 20 more days per year than San Diego.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
52 / 100
23.0 pts behind San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
11 routes
44 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
653k metro
San Diego has 9.7x more events per month than Wichita.
the verdict
5
San Diego
categories won
4
Wichita
categories won
San Diego wins on weather and lifestyle. Wichita has the edge on money.
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