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→Columbus
Columbus is Ohio State on autumn Saturdays (the Horseshoe holds 100,000+ and they all wear scarlet), German Village's cobblestone streets and brick cottages, and a Short North gallery scene that punches well above its weight. It's quietly become a test market for the rest of America because the demographics line up so neatly. The food scene leans young, weird, and good. 'Buckeyes' here can mean either the football team or the chocolate-peanut-butter candy.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,511/mo
$1,584/mo less than San Luis Obispo (105%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$350k
$584k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$6,490/mo
Columbus has $2,027/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
171 days
132 fewer than San Luis Obispo
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
29 days
days below 20°F per year
San Luis Obispo has 14 more days above 95°F each year than Columbus. Columbus drops below 20°F on 29 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
57 / 100
11.0 pts behind San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
32 routes
29 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
2.2M metro
San Luis Obispo has 11.6x fewer events per month than Columbus.
the verdict
3
San Luis Obispo
categories won
6
Columbus
categories won
Columbus wins on money. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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