| Measure | RiversideCalifornia, United States Remove Riverside | HamiltonOntario, Canada Remove Hamilton | PlanoTexas, United States Remove Plano | BellinghamWashington, United States Remove Bellingham |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scores (out of 10) | ||||
| Overall score | 6.5 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| Connector Score | 8.8 | 9.2 | 7.8 | 8.9 |
| Safety | 7.4 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 7.2 |
| Affordability | 2.9 | 6.1 | 5.5 | 4.2 |
| Transportation | 10.0 | 10.0 | 6.5 | 9.0 |
| Car-free friendliness | 8.5 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 5.5 |
| Walkability | 8.2 | 5.3 | 8.2 | 4.1 |
| Things to do | 6.1 | 7.0 | 5.7 | 6.3 |
| Food & dining | 5.0 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 4.6 |
| Places to stay | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 5.1 |
| Nature & outdoors | 4.0 | 5.5 | 2.0 | 8.5 |
| Scenic value | 5.8 | 6.3 | 4.3 | 7.8 |
| Family friendliness | 5.0 | 4.9 | 7.3 | 5.4 |
| Solo-traveler friendliness | 6.4 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 5.4 |
| Nightlife | 4.6 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.4 |
| Remote-work friendliness | 5.4 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 5.1 |
| Road-trip convenience | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Train-trip convenience | 8.8 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 7.0 |
| Bus-trip convenience | 8.0 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 6.5 |
| Cost (per person per day, USD) | ||||
| Budget | $50 | $115 | $164 | $90 |
| Mid-range | $83 | $159 | $228 | $215 |
| Luxury | $175 | $264 | $377 | $358 |
| Living there | ||||
| Cost of living index (national = 100) | 138 | 104 | 110 | 123 |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent | $2,000 | CA$1,900 | $1,600 | $1,590 |
| Median home price | $647,000 | CA$825,000 | $465,900 | $697,000 |
| Population | 323K | 569K | 293K | 96K |
| Getting there | ||||
| Accessible by | Drive Train Bus Airport | Drive Train Bus Airport | Drive Bus | Drive Train Bus Ferry Airport |
| Car recommended | — | — | — | — |
| Travel time from Riverside | — | Far | Far | Far |
| Character | ||||
| Best for | Car-free travel, History | Car-free travel | History | Outdoors, History, Skiing |
| Known for | Mountains & hiking, Museums & galleries, Historic sites, Live music | Mountains & hiking, Lakes & rivers, Museums & galleries, Historic sites, Live music, Shopping | Museums & galleries, Historic sites, Food scene, Live music, Shopping, Family & kids | Mountains & hiking, National & state parks, Lakes & rivers, Museums & galleries, Historic sites, Wineries & breweries, Live music, Skiing & winter sports |
| When to go | Peak: Around holiday Festival of Lights and s… | Peak: June to September and during Supercrawl… | — | Peak: Summer, Ski to Sea Memorial Day weekend… |
Scores and costs are estimates from public data and our own research; check the city pages for sources and dates.