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→Kansas City
Kansas City is barbecue (burnt ends are a local invention), jazz (the 18th and Vine district fed Charlie Parker and Count Basie), and fountains everywhere you turn. The city straddles two states and doesn't make a big deal out of it. The Plaza shopping district looks like Seville, which is delightfully odd for the Midwest. Friendly here means genuinely friendly.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,502/mo
$1,593/mo less than San Luis Obispo (106%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$326k
$608k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$6,440/mo
Kansas City has $1,977/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
170 days
133 fewer than San Luis Obispo
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 days
8 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
San Luis Obispo has 6 more days above 95°F each year than Kansas City. Kansas City drops below 20°F on 26 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
43 routes
40 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
2.2M metro
San Luis Obispo has 8.4x fewer events per month than Kansas City.
the verdict
3
San Luis Obispo
categories won
6
Kansas City
categories won
Kansas City wins on money. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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