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→Spokane
Spokane is eastern Washington's anchor city, very different from Seattle: drier, sunnier, with the Spokane River tumbling through downtown in actual waterfalls. Riverfront Park (built for the 1974 World's Fair) is the city's living room. Bing Crosby was born here. Mt. Spokane and Coeur d'Alene Lake are nearby. The Bloomsday run every May draws around 40,000 people. Affordable and outdoorsy.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,520/mo
$1,575/mo less than San Luis Obispo (104%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$420k
$514k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$6,813/mo
Spokane has $2,350/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
164 days
139 fewer than San Luis Obispo
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 days
6 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
34 days
days below 20°F per year
San Luis Obispo has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Spokane. Spokane drops below 20°F on 34 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
81 / 100
13.0 pts ahead of San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
10 routes
7 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
600k metro
San Luis Obispo has 3.7x fewer events per month than Spokane.
the verdict
2
San Luis Obispo
categories won
7
Spokane
categories won
Spokane wins on money and lifestyle. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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