on $100k a year, leaving San Francisco
changea dispatch from
allentown
PA
40.60°N
75.49°W
Allentown is the heart of the Lehigh Valley, with old industrial bones turning into a quietly resilient mid-sized city. The Lehigh River runs past, the historic downtown has been steadily finding its footing with breweries and restaurants in the old buildings, and the surrounding farmland is gorgeous. It's an hour and change from both Philly and NYC. Cheaper than both, by a lot.
the verdict
under San Francisco, every month
Allentown sits well below San Francisco on cost. Same paycheck, a noticeably lighter month.
a quick ledger.
$1,809/mo
42% cheaper than San Francisco(vs $3,146/mo)
3.07%
$519/mo less in state tax than San Francisco
vs 9.3% in San Francisco
$6,269/mo
$1,857 more than San Francisco
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$359k
71% cheaper than San Francisco
vs $1239k in San Francisco
874k
vs 4.6M in San Francisco
field notes, weather & such.
157
pleasant days a year, in allentown.
San Francisco actually gets more: 312 pleasant days a year. Winter shows up, though: 32 days below 20° vs San Francisco's 0.
But the calendar thins out: San Francisco stays 9.6× busier.
73/100
12% lower than San Francisco
vs 83/100 in San Francisco
Closest outdoor draw: Lehigh Gorge State Park, 23.6 mi.
86/100
13% lower than San Francisco
vs 99/100 in San Francisco
9
92% fewer than San Francisco
vs 111 nonstops in San Francisco
cities that play in allentown's register:
compare allentown with:
