$100k a year, no longer in Birmingham

change
Cleveland, OH cityscape

instead of birmingham

Cleveland

oh · metro 2.2M

photo: Stephen Leonardi / pexels

a dispatch from

cleveland

OH

41.50°N

81.69°W

Cleveland is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the West Side Market's 100+ years of pierogies and bratwurst, and Lake Erie sunsets that put the coastal hype to shame. The Cuyahoga River caught fire so many times it inspired the Clean Water Act. The Cleveland Orchestra is consistently ranked among the world's best. Summers on the lake are gorgeous, and the food scene is having a real moment.

metro2.2M

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Affordable alternatives to Boise

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$72

less monthly outlay than Birmingham

Cost barely budges between Cleveland and Birmingham. Pick this one for the texture of the days, not the math.
landable, recorded on the cleveland entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,419/mo

1% more expensive than Birmingham(vs $1,407/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$84/mo less in state tax than Birmingham

vs 5% in Birmingham

03after rent

$6,582/mo

$72 more than Birmingham

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

04a house here

$252k

3% cheaper than Birmingham

vs $261k in Birmingham

05metro size

2.2M

vs 1.2M in Birmingham

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

159

pleasant days a year, in cleveland.

Birmingham actually gets more: 171 pleasant days a year. Winter shows up, though: 27 days below 20° vs Birmingham's 4.

A similar weekend lineup to Birmingham.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

63/100

3% higher than Birmingham

vs 61/100 in Birmingham

Closest outdoor draw: Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 29.7 mi.

·walk score®

96/100

22% higher than Birmingham

vs 79/100 in Birmingham

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

56

180% more than Birmingham

vs 20 nonstops in Birmingham

04 · see also

neighbors of cleveland on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

st. louis

better park access

turn the page

see also

kansas city

better weather

turn the page

see also

pittsburgh

$23/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare cleveland with:

St. LouisKansas CityPittsburgh