on $100k a year, leaving Chicago

change
Cleveland, OH cityscape

next stop after chicago

Cleveland

oh · metro 2.2M

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

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$831

lighter monthly cost than Chicago

Cleveland is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
landable, recorded on the cleveland entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,419/mo

35% cheaper than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$80/mo less in state tax than Chicago

vs 4.95% in Chicago

03after rent

$6,582/mo

$831 more than Chicago

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

04a house here

$252k

31% cheaper than Chicago

vs $365k in Chicago

05metro size

2.2M

vs 9.3M in Chicago

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

159

pleasant days a year, in cleveland.

Chicago only manages 153 of those.

Chicago hosts 14.7× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

63/100

10% lower than Chicago

vs 70/100 in Chicago

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

·walk score®

96/100

4% lower than Chicago

vs 100/100 in Chicago

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

56

74% fewer than Chicago

vs 217 nonstops in Chicago

04 · see also

cities that play in cleveland's register:

compare cleveland with: