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→Wichita
Wichita is the Air Capital of the World, with Cessna, Beechcraft, and major Spirit AeroSystems facilities all here. The Arkansas River runs through downtown, and the Old Town district has brick streets, breweries, and the kind of friendly Kansas pace that makes the rest of the country envious. The flatness is real, and the sunsets are enormous because of it.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,095/mo
$1,173/mo
$1,922/mo less than San Luis Obispo (164%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$221k
$713k less than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$6,685/mo
Wichita has $2,222/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
30 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
20 days
days below 20°F per year
Wichita has 16 more days above 95°F each year than San Luis Obispo. Wichita drops below 20°F on 20 more days per year than San Luis Obispo.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
52 / 100
16.0 pts behind San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
11 routes
8 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
653k metro
San Luis Obispo has 1.8x fewer events per month than Wichita.
the verdict
4
San Luis Obispo
categories won
5
Wichita
categories won
Wichita wins on money. San Luis Obispo has the edge on weather.
run your numbers
How far does your San Luis Obispo salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works