2025 Compare Cities Rankings:
Durham, NC vs Santa Monica, CA

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Rankings for Durham

Durham Ranked
#8 Most Competitive Public Colleges
Most Competitive Public Colleges... Read More

Durham Ranked
#16 Best Green Cities
Country Home magazine, in conjunction with Sperlings BestPlaces, reveals that Burlington, Vermont is the 2007 Best Green Pla... Read More

Durham Ranked
#18 Most Competitive Private Colleges
Most Competitive Private Colleges... Read More

Durham Ranked
#68 Most Comfortable Summer Cities
When it comes to summer and its accompanying hot weather, there are so many beautiful things - beach days, barbecues, revea... Read More

Rankings for Santa Monica

Santa Monica Ranked
#2 Most Comfortable Summer Cities
When it comes to summer and its accompanying hot weather, there are so many beautiful things - beach days, barbecues, revea... Read More

Santa Monica Ranked
#2 Top 10 Cities to Beat the Heat
The BestPlaces Summer Comfort Index considers seven climate variables, including total precipitation, daily minimum and... Read More

Santa Monica Ranked
#43 Best Cities for Board Gamers
The data team at BestPlaces.net calculated each metro area’s Board Gamer Score based on board game interest and sales from th... Read More

Santa Monica Ranked
#47 Gloomiest Places in America
The data team at BestPlaces.net determined each metro area’s Gloom Score by looking at three key environmental factors for the m... Read More

Santa Monica Ranked
#50 America's Top Hygge Cities
Hygge is the Danish concept of creating cozy environments that foster well-being and contentment. Many Americans have eagerly ado... Read More

Reviews for Durham    43 Reviews

I was raised in this city, left for work in the 2010s, and returned in 2018. This city has changed a lot over the years for the better. Growing up there was not a ton to  More

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Over 4 years ago

I've lived in durham for a few years and my experience is coming from someone who has traveled all over the world and has lived in many different states. First things  More

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Over 4 years ago

I live here for my entire life and it has never gotten boring, I love the scenery, nightlife and basically everything here. There is always something new to do and  More

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Reviews for Santa Monica    24 Reviews

I moved here to Santa Monica over 10 years ago from Oklahoma City. I was surprised to see that Oklahoma City was ranked higher than Santa Monica on best places. I  More

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I've lived in Santa Monica for over 30 years. It's a Mediterranean climate--sunny and temperate when the rest of the country is under snow! I am walking distance to  More

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I have lived in this city for 4 decades, and it is never been worse than it is now. It is a dangerous disgusting hell hole. Between the crime, the homeless that are not  More

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