Budget-first city search

Filterstap to adjust

Start with a preset

Sets your priorities and a few filters as a starting point — tweak anything after.

Annual income

$5,417/mo

We estimate federal, FICA, and state income taxes per city, plus local sales tax on everyday spending.

Housing

Costs are priced as renting: the local rent benchmark scaled to your household.

Household

AdultsKids under 5Kids 5–17

Children add childcare costs (county prices, by age) and change your filing status and Child Tax Credit.

Climate

Future heat (2050)

Thermometer reading (LOCA projection, ~2050). Humid coasts like Miami rarely hit a true 100°F — their danger is the humid-heat filter below.

Future humid heat (2050)

Dangerous humid-heat days (wet-bulb ≥77°F) projected for ~2050 — the “feels deadly” metric that dry-temperature counts miss.

Walkability

Public transit

Service frequency near where people live (EPA Smart Location pattern). “Car-optional” means daily life works without driving.

Natural-disaster risk

Composite hurricane / tornado / earthquake / wildfire / flood risk (FEMA National Risk Index-inspired, approx.).

Avoid specific hazards

Screens out cities at high risk for any hazard you pick. Per-peril estimate: wildfire / tornado / earthquake by state (FEMA NRI-informed), hurricanes by coastal distance, flooding and winter from local rainfall and snowfall.

Air quality

Days per year with AQI over 100 (EPA "unhealthy for sensitive groups" or worse), recent-years average.

College-educated share

Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS, city proper).

Fast home internet

Share of homes with fixed 100/20 Mbps+ service (FCC Broadband Data Collection). Cities without data aren't excluded.

Healthcare access

Primary-care physicians per 100k residents in the city's county (County Health Rankings). Cities without data aren't excluded.

Community politics

Pick any mix — cities matching any selected band are shown. From 2024 presidential results in the city's county (approx.); "mixed" = margin within ±5 points.

Within 30 miles of a major hub airportCollege towns only (university-dominated cities)On the water (ocean, bay, or Great Lakes shoreline)No state income tax on wagesLocal wages cover local costsThe typical local household here earns enough to live comfortably — matters if you'll take a local job rather than bring your income with you.

Time zone

Working remotely? Stay aligned with your team's hours.

Hard caps

Absolute ceilings and floors — cities outside them are excluded outright, whatever their Fit Score.

Max rent (2BR benchmark)

Max home price

Max property tax

Min job growth

Min local median wage

Max violent crime

Max property crime

Max cost of goods

Min amenity density

Min sunny days

Max commute

Max median age

Min median age

Max rainfall

Max snowfall

Max summer high

Max summer feels-like

Min winter low

Max humid-heat days

Regions

NortheastMidwestSouthWest

None checked = everywhere.

Min. population

Max. population

Fine-tune priorities

Affordability8/10

Housing5/10

Jobs6/10

Safety7/10

Climate5/10

Amenities4/10