01 · the cities
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→Cincinnati
Cincinnati is chili served on spaghetti (Skyline and Gold Star will fight you about which is better), German heritage in Over-the-Rhine's beer halls, and a riverfront that looks straight across at Kentucky. OTR's brick warehouses have become one of the best urban revitalizations in the country. The Reds play in baseball's oldest professional city. Pronounce it correctly and the locals warm up fast.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,411/mo
$1,549/mo
$138/mo more than St. Louis (9%)
Median home price
Median home price
$277k
$316k
$39k more than St. Louis
State income tax
State income tax
4.7%
4.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,531/mo
$6,452/mo
St. Louis has $79/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
174 days
162 days
12 fewer than St. Louis
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
5 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
22 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
St. Louis edges ahead on pleasant days, but both cities have comparable comfort overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
72 / 100
4.0 pts ahead of St. Louis
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
60 routes
47 routes
13 fewer direct routes than St. Louis
Metro size
Metro size
2.8M metro
2.3M metro
St. Louis and Cincinnati have similar event volume.
the verdict
5
St. Louis
categories won
2
Cincinnati
categories won
St. Louis leads on money and weather and wins overall.
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