Two or three cities, side by side
Pick scored cities to compare across the five weighted pillars and the feng shui overlay. Reference cities (Nelson, Canmore, Sedona, Ashland) appear in the table below for additional context.
Cabarete is an Active energy town punching way above its 16,000-person weight class. The social-cultural pillar (82) and physical environment (88) are elite — a globally recognized kitesurfing mecca with year-round tropical climate, Atlantic beaches backed by the Cordillera Septentrional mountains, a 7-night-a-week nightlife scene, international arts festivals, and a bohemian expat community from 50+ countries. Economics are solid for lifestyle arbitrage ($1,600/mo all-in) but the formal job market is thin and tourism-dependent. Wellness infrastructure is surprisingly strong for a town this size — yoga retreats, organic farm-to-table dining, an apothecary bar, and a private hospital with Level 4 ICU.
Mid-sized city with genuine economic engine, strong population growth, excellent physical environment, deep wellness infrastructure. Big knock: housing affordability ($1.1M avg home) and 7–8.6% unemployment. Feng shui geography is excellent (8/10) — east-shore lake position with mountain embrace.
Pillar comparison
Score / 100| Pillar | Cabarete | Kelowna | Nelson* | Canmore* | Sedona* | Ashland* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Economic 30% weight | 62 | 55 | 55 | 68 | 52 | 50 |
Demographic 25% weight | 58 | 68 | 58 | 65 | 38 | 55 |
Social 20% weight | 82 | 62 | 78 | 62 | 72 | 85 |
Physical 15% weight | 88 | 78 | 80 | 92 | 88 | 75 |
Wellness 10% weight | 75 | 72 | 85 | 72 | 92 | 80 |
Weighted total | 70 | 65 | 67 | 70 | 62 | 65 |
Feng shui geography Separate 0–10 scale | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8.5 | 7 | 6.5 |
* Reference cities. Not full-detail in MVP — included to anchor scored cities against well-known wellness/lifestyle benchmarks.