01 · the cities
South Bend
South Bend is Notre Dame, the Golden Dome, and the Touchdown Jesus mural visible from the football stadium. The St. Joseph River runs through downtown, and the East Bank district has the food and bar scene. The University of Notre Dame campus is genuinely beautiful (the basilica, the lakes, the grottos). Smaller than its national reputation suggests, with a steady college-town pulse.
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
$1,391/mo
$1,534/mo
$143/mo more than South Bend (9%)
Median home price
Median home price
$230k
$273k
$43k more than South Bend
State income tax
State income tax
3.0%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,692/mo
$6,312/mo
South Bend has $380/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
157 days
147 days
10 fewer than South Bend
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
40 days
48 days
days below 20°F per year
Rochester drops below 20°F on 8 more days per year than South Bend.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
53 / 100
58 / 100
5.0 pts ahead of South Bend
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
9 routes
18 routes
9 more direct routes than South Bend
Metro size
Metro size
324k metro
1.1M metro
South Bend has 1.8x fewer events per month than Rochester.
the verdict
6
South Bend
categories won
2
Rochester
categories won
South Bend wins on money and weather. Rochester has the edge on lifestyle.
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