$100k salary, packing up from Portland

change
Akron, OH cityscape

if you left portland

Akron

oh · metro 698k

a dispatch from

akron

OH

41.08°N

81.52°W

Akron was the Rubber City (Goodyear, Firestone, BFGoodrich all built here), and the legacy still shapes its industrial bones. LeBron James is from Akron and never forgets it. The Goodyear blimp is based in town. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is just north, with waterfalls and rail-trails. Cheaper than Cleveland, with its own quiet charm.

metro698k

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$919

less monthly outlay than Portland

Akron is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
landable, recorded on the akron entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,259/mo

29% cheaper than Portland(vs $1,781/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$397/mo less in state tax than Portland

vs 8.75% in Portland

03after rent

$6,742/mo

$919 more than Portland

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$236k

58% cheaper than Portland

vs $562k in Portland

05metro size

698k

vs 2.5M in Portland

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

152

pleasant days a year, in akron.

Portland gets 178 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. A real winter, not a brutal one: 40 days under 20°, vs 2 in Portland.

Lighter on events: Portland packs 3.7× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

25% lower than Portland

vs 87/100 in Portland

Closest outdoor draw: Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 0.7 mi.

·walk score®

76/100

24% lower than Portland

vs 100/100 in Portland

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

11

81% fewer than Portland

vs 57 nonstops in Portland

04 · see also

same energy as akron, different zip code:

compare akron with: