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→Providence
Providence is what a college town looks like wearing a former industrial capital's old leather jacket. Brown and RISD pour creatives in by the thousand, Federal Hill has been feeding them red sauce since forever, and on summer nights WaterFire literally lights bonfires up and down the river. It's cheap enough that Boston refugees actually stay. The state capitol has the fourth-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world, and you'll be told within an hour of arrival.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$2,127/mo
$968/mo less than San Luis Obispo (46%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$528k
$407k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
6.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$5,707/mo
Providence has $1,244/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
159 days
144 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
35 days
days below 20°F per year
San Luis Obispo has 13 more days above 95°F each year than Providence. Providence drops below 20°F on 35 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
63 / 100
5.0 pts behind San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
17 routes
14 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
1.7M metro
San Luis Obispo has 2.1x fewer events per month than Providence.
the verdict
3
San Luis Obispo
categories won
6
Providence
categories won
Providence wins on money. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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