How do I compare cities to find the best places to live?

The first step to figuring out where to live is research. Whether you have your heart set on moving to a particular place or are just curious about different cities, getting insider knowledge on a new area can help you determine if you could see yourself thriving there.

Using MYMOVE’s city guides, you can learn much-needed information about a prospective area. Basic facts like the cost of living and top industries show you what it’s like to live and work in the city. More in-depth information like the number of parks, music venues, and breweries paint a picture of the fun you could have there.

So, how do these city guides work?

We’ve compiled a varied list of data sources all in one place. Simply search for a specific city above, or explore the top metro areas in each state (and Puerto Rico). View our city guides to learn the basics, like population, weather, and housing prices, and the fun stuff, like culture and entertainment options.

How do I decide where to live?

Lots of factors go into choosing the location of your next life chapter. Does your company have an office in a city that excites you? Does the industry you work in have a presence in that metro area?

Do you want to own a car, or is walkability high on your priority list? Are you a museum buff, an avid hiker, or a music lover?

Sit down and make a checklist of your city must-haves. Then, create a list of general areas that pique your interest. Search for MYMOVE’s guides for those cities, and use those city guides as a starting point to decide where to live next.

Where does the data for our city guides come from?

We sourced our core cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research’s Cost of Living Index (COLI). The COLI is updated quarterly, using data collected at the local level for over 60 goods and services. Learn more about COLI research methodology.

Population data is sourced from the U.S. Census. The average salaries and housing prices were compiled from TownCharts.

We sourced weather data from various resources, including but not limited to the National Centers for Environmental Information and The Weather Channel.

Data for each city’s average commute time was pulled from the U.S. Census, Data USA, and MarketWatch.

We compiled hospital data from Healthgrades, and sales tax data was sourced from the Tax Foundation.

Various sources were used to collect culture and entertainment data, including but not limited to The Trust for Public Land, Wikipedia, USA Zoos, ultimaterollercoaster.com, Indie on the Move, and publiclibraries.com.

Livability score provided by Areavibes. The Livability Score is a score out of 100 that was designed to help evaluate the quality of an area. The score analyzes dozens of data points across seven key categories: amenities, cost of living, crime, employment, housing, schools, and user ratings.