on $100k a year, leaving San Jose

change
Akron, OH cityscape

instead of san jose

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

$2,654

lighter monthly cost than San Jose

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

64% cheaper than San Jose(vs $3,470/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$442/mo less in state tax than San Jose

vs 9.3% in San Jose

03after rent

$6,742/mo

$2,654 more than San Jose

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

04a house here

$236k

87% cheaper than San Jose

vs $1796k in San Jose

05metro size

698k

vs 1.9M in San Jose

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

152

pleasant days a year, in akron.

San Jose actually gets more: 283 pleasant days a year. The trade is winter: 40 days below 20°, vs 0 in San Jose.

But the calendar thins out: San Jose stays 1.9× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

7% lower than San Jose

vs 70/100 in San Jose

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

·walk score®

76/100

20% lower than San Jose

vs 95/100 in San Jose

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

11

62% fewer than San Jose

vs 29 nonstops in San Jose

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as akron:

compare akron with: