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→St. Louis
St. Louis has the Arch (catenary curve and engineering marvel), Forest Park (bigger than Central Park and home to a free zoo, art museum, and history museum), and toasted ravioli, which was invented here. The Cardinals are a religion, the Hill neighborhood is wall-to-wall Italian red sauce, and Imo's makes pizza with Provel cheese that locals defend furiously. The skyline at sunset is underrated.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,411/mo
$1,684/mo less than San Luis Obispo (119%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$277k
$658k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$6,531/mo
St. Louis has $2,068/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
174 days
129 fewer than San Luis Obispo
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 days
5 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
22 days
days below 20°F per year
San Luis Obispo has 9 more days above 95°F each year than St. Louis. St. Louis drops below 20°F on 22 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
68 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
60 routes
57 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
2.8M metro
San Luis Obispo has 8.0x fewer events per month than St. Louis.
the verdict
2
San Luis Obispo
categories won
6
St. Louis
categories won
St. Louis wins on money and lifestyle. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
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