The Best U.S. Cities to Date Long-Distance

You’ve finally swiped your way to your perfect match, but there’s just one problem — they live across the country. Not to worry, long-distance dating is more doable than ever (thank you, internet). But it’s easier in some U.S. cities than others, and we wanted to know which ones make long-distance dating almost as fun as a night out on the town.

To figure it out, we looked at internet speeds, restaurants available on DoorDash, the cost of a bottle of wine, and more. So put on your fanciest Zoom background and get ready to virtually wine and dine your way through the best long-distance date-night cities in the U.S. Read on to find out which cities made the list!

Key Findings

Springfield, Massachusetts, is the best city to date long-distance with a city score of 71.78 out of 100. It has above-average internet speeds, low monthly internet costs, and fairly good walkability for virtual date-night strolls.
Albany, New York, is the second-best city (66.18) for long-distance dating because of the high percentage of adults with a computer and internet subscription, an above-average number of restaurants that deliver per 100K people, and low costs for a bottle of wine.
Salt Lake City, Utah, takes third place (64.15 out of 100) due to the high search interest for streaming services, low monthly internet costs, and plenty of Wi-Fi hotspots around for virtual dates outside the house.

U.S. Cities That Make Distance Dating a Breeze

A U.S. map showing the 20 best cities for long-distance dating

Long-distance couples know that keeping the spark alive requires creative planning and a bit of technological know-how. These cities have all the amenities you need for a successful virtual date night!

Springfield, Massachusetts, is the ultimate U.S. city for modern love. With 600 Wi-Fi hotspots per 100K people and an average internet speed faster than Cupid’s arrow (231 MBps), you and your special someone will be able to connect from almost anywhere in the city without worrying about dropping your video call in the middle of dinner. Plus, with over 30 mailboxes per 100K people, you can always surprise your partner with a heartfelt letter or gift.

Salt Lake City, Utah, is another city that stands above the rest when it comes to long-distance dating. With a low average monthly internet cost ($59.22), and a high percentage of adults with a computer and internet subscription (92.21%), you won’t have to worry about breaking the bank to stay connected. And with high search interest for streaming services, you and your partner will have no problem streaming The White Lotus together.

Despite being over 2,000 miles offshore from the rest of the lower 48 states, Honolulu, Hawaii, has some of the best amenities for staying connected long-distance. With over three parks per 10K people, there are plenty of places for virtual walks. And with nearly 21 flower delivery shops per 100K people, you can easily shower your boo with floral love from afar.

The Best Cities for Staying Connected and a Virtual Date Night

A graphic showing the 5 best cities for long-distance dating by category

What makes a city great for long-distance romantic partners? It’s all about staying connected and having a virtual date night that’s almost as romantic as the real thing. We looked at connectivity details and virtual date options to determine what cities make it easiest for couples to maintain their long-distance relations.

Relationship Connectivity

Shout out to Austin, Texas! Its zippy average internet speed (215 MBps) makes HD video calls smooth as butter, so you’re not looking at a pixelated or frozen partner during dates. Plus, with a vast amount of internet service providers and high search interest in streaming services, a unique virtual watch party for two is only a click of the remote away.

In Boston, Massachusetts, a full 92% of adults have a computer and internet subscription. Even better, an internet connection costs a reasonable $60.66, meaning you’ll still have enough money left over to cover the DoorDash bill.

Virtual Date Night

With a plethora of parks (4.2 per 10K people) to explore, Madison, Wisconsin, offers ample options for you and your loved one to enjoy nature together on a virtual stroll. Add a wide selection of wallet-friendly wines to the mix ($11 on average), and you’ve got the perfect ingredients for a romantic online evening.

When it comes to DoorDash options, Toledo, Ohio, is the city to beat! With a whopping 56.5 restaurants offering DoorDash delivery per 100K people, you’re sure to find a mouthwatering meal to enjoy with your sweetheart. Looking to surprise your suitor with a special gift? Toledo has you covered with 28.25 mailboxes per 100K people, ensuring your package arrives on time.

Things to Consider When Long-Distance Dating

To read through the full dataset behind the ranking, sort through the table below! Where does your city stack up?

Closing Thoughts

While the data clearly shows that some cities are better than others for a long-distance date night, we hope long-distance couples in every city can find ways to keep the spark alive and make their relationship work no matter the distance. All it takes is a bit of creativity, planning, and understanding.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, you can make the distance between you and your partner feel shorter by picking out the perfect gift from Shane Co. to symbolize your love.

Here’s to all the couples out there making it work. We hope you have a chance to unite in person soon. Until then, happy virtual dating!

Methodology

To determine the best cities for long-distance dating, we began by creating a list of 100 large U.S. cities and researched individual factors on each that would be important for such an event. Once we compiled the data, we analyzed it and ranked the cities from 1 to 100 based on how well they are set up for staying connected and virtual date nights.

We assigned cities a score of 0 to 5 for each factor we researched, with a score of 5 representing the most favorable conditions. We determined each city’s total score from the total of its individual factor scores, which were weighted based on how much they impact a couple dating long-distance. Individual factor scores were then added together to give each city a final score from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate a city is better for a long-distance date. To provide a little more insight, we broke the factors into two categories, Relationship Connectivity and Virtual Date Night, to show how cities stack up for different parts of a distance relationship.