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→Boise
Boise is basically Denver before Denver got Denver-y: walkable downtown, foothills you can run into on your lunch break, and a river slicing right through the middle of town. The Basque Block downtown anchors the biggest Basque community in the U.S., which nobody sees coming. The vibe is 'we close our laptops and go outside,' and the trails make that very easy to do. Locals would prefer you didn't tell anyone.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,794/mo
$1,301/mo less than San Luis Obispo (73%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$490k
$444k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.8%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$6,056/mo
Boise has $1,593/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
166 days
137 fewer than San Luis Obispo
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 days
27 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
24 days
days below 20°F per year
Boise has 13 more days above 95°F each year than San Luis Obispo. Boise drops below 20°F on 24 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
82 / 100
14.0 pts ahead of San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
16 routes
13 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
827k metro
San Luis Obispo has 3.9x fewer events per month than Boise.
the verdict
3
San Luis Obispo
categories won
6
Boise
categories won
Boise wins on money and lifestyle. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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