$100k a year, no longer in Raleigh

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Columbus, OH cityscape

next stop after raleigh

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

$195

less monthly outlay than Raleigh

Columbus and Raleigh land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the columbus entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,511/mo

9% cheaper than Raleigh(vs $1,663/mo)

02state income tax

3.99%

$43/mo less in state tax than Raleigh

vs 4.5% in Raleigh

03after rent

$6,490/mo

$195 more than Raleigh

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

04a house here

$350k

21% cheaper than Raleigh

vs $440k in Raleigh

05metro size

2.2M

vs 1.5M in Raleigh

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

171

pleasant days a year, in columbus.

Raleigh has the edge here, logging 201 pleasant days a year. Cold snaps are part of the year: 29 days below 20° here, 3 in Raleigh.

A month here packs 2.5× the events of Raleigh.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

57/100

2% lower than Raleigh

vs 58/100 in Raleigh

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

·walk score®

85/100

12% lower than Raleigh

vs 97/100 in Raleigh

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

32

18% fewer than Raleigh

vs 39 nonstops in Raleigh

04 · see also

neighbors of columbus on the map of tradeoffs:

compare columbus with: