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→Louisville
Louisville is bourbon, the Derby, Muhammad Ali, and the Hot Brown sandwich (an open-faced turkey-and-cheese situation invented at the Brown Hotel). Derby week is a citywide event where people dress like they're at a wedding for a horse. The Highlands neighborhood has the best dive bars, the Urban Bourbon Trail downtown takes a full weekend. Pronounce it 'Loo-uh-vul' and you'll fit in.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,368/mo
$1,727/mo less than San Luis Obispo (126%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$282k
$652k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$6,590/mo
Louisville has $2,127/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
181 days
122 fewer than San Luis Obispo
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
15 days
days below 20°F per year
San Luis Obispo has 13 more days above 95°F each year than Louisville. Louisville drops below 20°F on 15 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
54 / 100
14.0 pts behind San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
22 routes
19 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
1.4M metro
San Luis Obispo has 9.2x fewer events per month than Louisville.
the verdict
3
San Luis Obispo
categories won
6
Louisville
categories won
Louisville wins on money. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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