$100k salary, packing up from Lakeland

change
Columbus, OH cityscape

next stop after lakeland

Columbus

oh · metro 2.2M

a dispatch from

columbus

OH

39.96°N

83.00°W

Columbus is Ohio State on autumn Saturdays (the Horseshoe holds 100,000+ and they all wear scarlet), German Village's cobblestone streets and brick cottages, and a Short North gallery scene that punches well above its weight. It's quietly become a test market for the rest of America because the demographics line up so neatly. The food scene leans young, weird, and good. 'Buckeyes' here can mean either the football team or the chocolate-peanut-butter candy.

metro2.2M

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$9

the monthly premium over Lakeland

Barely costlier than Lakeland. If Columbus pulls you in, it's the life it offers, not the price tag.
landable, recorded on the columbus entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,511/mo

18% cheaper than Lakeland(vs $1,834/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$333/mo more in state tax than Lakeland

vs 0% in Lakeland

03after rent

$6,490/mo

$9 less than Lakeland

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

04a house here

$350k

16% more expensive than Lakeland

vs $301k in Lakeland

05metro size

2.2M

vs 818k in Lakeland

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

171

pleasant days a year, in columbus.

Lakeland gets 206 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter has bite, though: 29 days drop below 20° vs Lakeland's 0.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 9.7× more on the calendar than Lakeland.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

57/100

19% higher than Lakeland

vs 48/100 in Lakeland

Closest outdoor draw: Alum Creek State Park, 16.2 mi.

·walk score®

85/100

29% higher than Lakeland

vs 66/100 in Lakeland

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

32

53% fewer than Lakeland

vs 68 nonstops in Lakeland

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as columbus:

compare columbus with: