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→Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids has won Beer City USA multiple times, hosts ArtPrize (one of the world's largest open art competitions every fall), and built itself on furniture (Steelcase, Herman Miller). The Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park is a sleeper world-class attraction. Downtown is walkable, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous in autumn, and Lake Michigan beaches are 30 minutes west. Quietly excellent.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,620/mo
$1,475/mo less than San Luis Obispo (91%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$353k
$582k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$6,359/mo
Grand Rapids has $1,896/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
151 days
152 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
50 days
days below 20°F per year
San Luis Obispo has 14 more days above 95°F each year than Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids drops below 20°F on 50 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
56 / 100
12.0 pts behind San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
20 routes
17 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
1.2M metro
San Luis Obispo has 6.9x fewer events per month than Grand Rapids.
the verdict
3
San Luis Obispo
categories won
6
Grand Rapids
categories won
Grand Rapids wins on money. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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