on $100k a year, leaving San Diego
changea dispatch from
buffalo
NY
42.89°N
78.88°W
Buffalo invented the wing (Anchor Bar, 1964, midnight, blue cheese, celery, not negotiable) and that should tell you most of what you need to know about the city's spirit. The Bills Mafia jumps through tables in subzero parking lots. Niagara Falls is 20 minutes away. The architecture (Sullivan, Wright, Olmsted parks) is genuinely world-class. The snow is part of the local mythology and the locals wear it proudly.
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read the guidethe verdict
lighter monthly cost than San Diego
Buffalo is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
a quick ledger.
$1,374/mo
52% cheaper than San Diego(vs $2,890/mo)
5.85%
$287/mo less in state tax than San Diego
vs 9.3% in San Diego
$6,472/mo
$1,804 more than San Diego
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$280k
72% cheaper than San Diego
vs $1010k in San Diego
1.2M
vs 3.3M in San Diego
field notes, weather & such.
152
pleasant days a year, in buffalo.
San Diego gets 332 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Cold is the cost: 42 days drop below 20° vs San Diego's 0.
But the calendar thins out: San Diego stays 2.6× busier.
66/100
12% lower than San Diego
vs 75/100 in San Diego
Closest outdoor draw: Darien Lakes State Park, 23.9 mi.
91/100
8% lower than San Diego
vs 99/100 in San Diego
20
64% fewer than San Diego
vs 55 nonstops in San Diego
if buffalo appeals, also worth a look:
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