$100k a year, no longer in Chicago

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Eugene, OR cityscape

next stop after chicago

Eugene

or · metro 381k

photo: Tim Mossholder / pexels

a dispatch from

eugene

OR

44.05°N

123.09°W

Eugene is Track Town USA (Hayward Field is the spiritual home of American distance running), the University of Oregon, and a hippie-academic-outdoorsy culture that's been here since the '60s and isn't going anywhere. The Willamette and McKenzie rivers meet just outside town. Saturday Market downtown has been running for over 50 years. Coffee and craft beer are taken seriously. Misty in winter, glorious in summer.

metro381k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$54

less monthly outlay than Chicago

Cost barely budges between Eugene and Chicago. Pick this one for the texture of the days, not the math.
landable, recorded on the eugene entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,799/mo

17% cheaper than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)

02state income tax

8.75%

$317/mo more in state tax than Chicago

vs 4.95% in Chicago

03after rent

$5,805/mo

$54 more than Chicago

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

04a house here

$456k

25% more expensive than Chicago

vs $365k in Chicago

05metro size

381k

vs 9.3M in Chicago

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

206

pleasant days a year, in eugene.

Chicago only logs 153 pleasant days.

Noticeably quieter than Chicago. About 98% fewer events on a typical month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

75/100

7% higher than Chicago

vs 70/100 in Chicago

Closest outdoor draw: Willamette National Forest, 47.5 mi.

·walk score®

97/100

3% lower than Chicago

vs 100/100 in Chicago

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

9

96% fewer than Chicago

vs 217 nonstops in Chicago

04 · see also

cities that play in eugene's register:

see also

pensacola

$776/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

reno

$620/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

greenville

$436/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare eugene with:

PensacolaRenoGreenville