landable/cost of living comparison
vs

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

Charlotte

Charlotte is banking towers (it's the second-biggest banking center in the country after NYC) wrapped in pine trees and southern hospitality. Uptown is the downtown (Charlotteans correct you on this immediately), the NASCAR Hall of Fame anchors a real motorsport scene, and the Whitewater Center lets you raft inside the city limits. Growth is fast, breweries are everywhere, and barbecue gets the Carolina vinegar treatment.

full dispatch

02 · the money

Median rent

$3,095/mo

$1,728/mo

$1,367/mo less than San Luis Obispo (79%)

Median home price

$934k

$391k

$543k less than San Luis Obispo

State income tax

9.3%

4.5%

Gross left after rent

$4,463/mo

$6,230/mo

Charlotte has $1,767/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

303 days

200 days

103 fewer than San Luis Obispo

Extreme heat days

14 days

7 days

days above 95°F per year

Extreme cold days

0 days

3 days

days below 20°F per year

San Luis Obispo has 7 more days above 95°F each year than Charlotte.

04 · the life

OutdoorScore

68 / 100

51 / 100

17.0 pts behind San Luis Obispo

Walk Score®

98 / 100

94 / 100

Nonstop flights

3 routes

141 routes

138 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo

Metro size

282k metro

2.8M metro

San Luis Obispo has 11.3x fewer events per month than Charlotte.

the verdict

2

San Luis Obispo

categories won

of 9

6

Charlotte

categories won

Charlotte leads on money and wins overall.

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We use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.

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