01 · the cities
Santa Maria
Santa Maria has its own style of barbecue (tri-tip cooked over red oak with pinquito beans and salsa), which is a legitimate regional tradition that locals will fight you about. The surrounding Santa Maria Valley is becoming serious wine country (especially Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). It's quieter and more affordable than its central coast neighbors. The Pacific is right there.
full dispatch→Louisville
Louisville is bourbon, the Derby, Muhammad Ali, and the Hot Brown sandwich (an open-faced turkey-and-cheese situation invented at the Brown Hotel). Derby week is a citywide event where people dress like they're at a wedding for a horse. The Highlands neighborhood has the best dive bars, the Urban Bourbon Trail downtown takes a full weekend. Pronounce it 'Loo-uh-vul' and you'll fit in.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,352/mo
$1,368/mo
$1,984/mo less than Santa Maria (145%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$282k
$776k less than Santa Maria
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,206/mo
$6,590/mo
Louisville has $2,384/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
337 days
181 days
156 fewer than Santa Maria
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
15 days
days below 20°F per year
Louisville drops below 20°F on 15 more days per year than Santa Maria.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
59 / 100
54 / 100
5.0 pts behind Santa Maria
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
2 routes
22 routes
20 more direct routes than Santa Maria
Metro size
Metro size
441k metro
1.4M metro
the verdict
3
Santa Maria
categories won
5
Louisville
categories won
Louisville wins on money. Santa Maria has the edge on weather.
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