same $100k income, fresh start from Chicago
changea dispatch from
baton rouge
LA
30.45°N
91.15°W
Baton Rouge is LSU football, the Mississippi River bending past downtown, and the kind of food (gumbo, jambalaya, boudin, po'boys) that makes you want to lie down after lunch. The Louisiana state capitol is the tallest in the country, a 34-story Art Deco tower that looks more like a Manhattan office building. Cajun warmth runs through everything, with a slightly more buttoned-up daily pace than New Orleans.
the verdict
lighter monthly cost than Chicago
Move to Baton Rouge and the monthly math gets easier. Chicago's rent is the headline; Baton Rouge's is a footnote.
a quick ledger.
$1,361/mo
37% cheaper than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)
3%
$163/mo less in state tax than Chicago
vs 4.95% in Chicago
$6,722/mo
$971 more than Chicago
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$250k
31% cheaper than Chicago
vs $365k in Chicago
874k
vs 9.3M in Chicago
field notes, weather & such.
187
pleasant days a year, in baton rouge.
Chicago only logs 153 pleasant days. Hot stretches show up, though: 25 days above 95° here, 1 in Chicago.
Lighter on events: Chicago packs 86.3× more into a month.
50/100
29% lower than Chicago
vs 70/100 in Chicago
Closest outdoor draw: Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, 38.6 mi.
75/100
25% lower than Chicago
vs 100/100 in Chicago
4
98% fewer than Chicago
vs 217 nonstops in Chicago
in the same ballpark as baton rouge:
compare baton rouge with:
