same $100k income, fresh start from Washington

change
Cleveland, OH cityscape

if you left washington

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

$1,309

cheaper each month than Washington

Move to Cleveland and the monthly math gets easier. Washington's rent is the headline; Cleveland's is a footnote.
landable, recorded on the cleveland entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,419/mo

40% cheaper than Washington(vs $2,352/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$376/mo less in state tax than Washington

vs 8.5% in Washington

03after rent

$6,582/mo

$1,309 more than Washington

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

04a house here

$252k

60% cheaper than Washington

vs $626k in Washington

05metro size

2.2M

vs 6.3M in Washington

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

159

pleasant days a year, in cleveland.

Washington actually gets more: 177 pleasant days a year. Winter shows up, though: 27 days below 20° vs Washington's 11.

Washington hosts 1.8× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

63/100

28% lower than Washington

vs 87/100 in Washington

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

·walk score®

96/100

2% lower than Washington

vs 98/100 in Washington

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

56

65% fewer than Washington

vs 160 nonstops in Washington

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as cleveland:

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