with $100k coming in, swapping out of San Jose

change
Cleveland, OH cityscape

if you left san jose

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

$2,494

less monthly outlay than San Jose

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

59% cheaper than San Jose(vs $3,470/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$442/mo less in state tax than San Jose

vs 9.3% in San Jose

03after rent

$6,582/mo

$2,494 more than San Jose

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

04a house here

$252k

86% cheaper than San Jose

vs $1796k in San Jose

05metro size

2.2M

vs 1.9M in San Jose

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

159

pleasant days a year, in cleveland.

San Jose edges ahead with 283 pleasant days. A real winter, not a brutal one: 27 days under 20°, vs 0 in San Jose.

42% more happening than in San Jose.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

63/100

10% lower than San Jose

vs 70/100 in San Jose

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

·walk score®

96/100

1% higher than San Jose

vs 95/100 in San Jose

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

56

93% more than San Jose

vs 29 nonstops in San Jose

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