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→Riverside
Riverside is where the navel orange got its start in America, with the parent tree from 1873 still alive and producing fruit on a downtown corner. The Mission Inn is a wildly ornate Spanish Revival hotel that hosts the country's biggest holiday lights festival. Riverside's downtown is genuinely walkable, with citrus groves still scattered through the foothills. Summers are dry and bright, with the foothills cooling the evenings.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$2,493/mo
$602/mo less than San Luis Obispo (24%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$595k
$339k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$5,065/mo
Riverside has $602/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
249 days
54 fewer than San Luis Obispo
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 days
47 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Riverside has 33 more days above 95°F each year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
69 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
14 routes
11 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
4.7M metro
San Luis Obispo has 1.7x more events per month than Riverside.
the verdict
2
San Luis Obispo
categories won
4
Riverside
categories won
Riverside wins on money and lifestyle. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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