same $100k income, fresh start from Lafayette

change
Cleveland, OH cityscape

next stop after lafayette

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

in our guides

#8

of 10

Best affordable cities to retire

read the guide
#10

of 10

Biggest cities you can actually afford

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best cities to leave New York for

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities to live in the Midwest

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best affordable coastal cities

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best cities to leave Boston for

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best affordable coastal cities for families

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities to leave DC for

read the guide
#3

of 10

Best cities in the Great Lakes region

read the guide
#10

of 10

Best cities for a $60k salary

read the guide
#10

of 10

Affordable alternatives to Boise

read the guide

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$169

pricier each month than Lafayette

Almost a wash on cost. The case for Cleveland is about what you'd do there, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the cleveland entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,419/mo

7% more expensive than Lafayette(vs $1,332/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$82/mo more in state tax than Lafayette

vs 3% in Lafayette

03after rent

$6,582/mo

$169 less than Lafayette

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

04a house here

$252k

26% more expensive than Lafayette

vs $200k in Lafayette

05metro size

2.2M

vs 414k in Lafayette

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

159

pleasant days a year, in cleveland.

Lafayette edges ahead with 211 pleasant days. Winter has bite, though: 27 days drop below 20° vs Lafayette's 0.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 17.6× more on the calendar than Lafayette.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

63/100

47% higher than Lafayette

vs 43/100 in Lafayette

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

·walk score®

96/100

13% higher than Lafayette

vs 85/100 in Lafayette

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

56

1767% more than Lafayette

vs 3 nonstops in Lafayette

04 · see also

cities that play in cleveland's register:

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