01 · the cities
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo (SLO to locals) sits halfway between LA and San Francisco on the central coast, with Cal Poly students, gorgeous wine country (Edna Valley and Paso Robles nearby), and a Thursday night farmers market that takes over downtown. It's been called the happiest city in America (multiple studies, Oprah included), and the vibe really does back that up. Bubblegum Alley is exactly what it sounds like. Mellow and beautiful.
full dispatch→Baltimore
Baltimore is steamed crabs with Old Bay, the Inner Harbor at golden hour, and row houses with painted screens. Edgar Allan Poe is buried here, John Waters still lives here, and Cal Ripken Jr. is a saint. The seafood is genuinely some of the best on the east coast. The neighborhoods (Fells Point, Hampden, Federal Hill) each feel like their own small town.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,868/mo
$1,227/mo less than San Luis Obispo (66%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$412k
$522k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
8.2%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$5,782/mo
Baltimore has $1,319/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
303 days
168 days
135 fewer than San Luis Obispo
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 days
4 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
21 days
days below 20°F per year
San Luis Obispo has 10 more days above 95°F each year than Baltimore. Baltimore drops below 20°F on 21 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
66 / 100
2.0 pts behind San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
72 routes
69 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
2.8M metro
San Luis Obispo has 6.7x fewer events per month than Baltimore.
the verdict
3
San Luis Obispo
categories won
6
Baltimore
categories won
Baltimore wins on money. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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