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→Rochester
Rochester is the city that Kodak and Xerox built, with a quiet college-town soul (UofR, RIT, Eastman School of Music). The Garbage Plate (cheeseburger, mac salad, home fries, hot sauce, on one plate) is the closest thing to a citywide handshake. Frederick Douglass made his home here, and the Susan B. Anthony House is downtown. The Finger Lakes wine country is right next door.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,534/mo
$1,561/mo less than San Luis Obispo (102%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$273k
$661k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$6,312/mo
Rochester has $1,849/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
147 days
156 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
48 days
days below 20°F per year
San Luis Obispo has 13 more days above 95°F each year than Rochester. Rochester drops below 20°F on 48 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
58 / 100
10.0 pts behind San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
18 routes
15 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
1.1M metro
San Luis Obispo has 3.0x fewer events per month than Rochester.
the verdict
3
San Luis Obispo
categories won
6
Rochester
categories won
Rochester wins on money. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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