same $100k income, fresh start from Phoenix

change
Cleveland, OH cityscape

from phoenix

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

$196

under Phoenix, every month

Cost barely budges between Cleveland and Phoenix. 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

18% cheaper than Phoenix(vs $1,739/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$124/mo more in state tax than Phoenix

vs 2.5% in Phoenix

03after rent

$6,582/mo

$196 more than Phoenix

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

04a house here

$252k

45% cheaper than Phoenix

vs $458k in Phoenix

05metro size

2.2M

vs 5.1M in Phoenix

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

159

pleasant days a year, in cleveland.

Phoenix gets 181 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter has bite, though: 27 days drop below 20° vs Phoenix's 0.

But the calendar thins out: Phoenix stays 2.3× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

63/100

5% lower than Phoenix

vs 66/100 in Phoenix

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

·walk score®

96/100

1% lower than Phoenix

vs 97/100 in Phoenix

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

56

38% fewer than Phoenix

vs 91 nonstops in Phoenix

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