$100k a year, no longer in Chicago
changea dispatch from
gainesville
FL
29.65°N
82.32°W
Gainesville is the University of Florida, the Gators, and a college town with serious natural assets: 30+ named springs within an hour's drive, including Ginnie, Devil's Den, and Ichetucknee for tubing. The food scene is solid and cheap (it's still a college town), and downtown's grown up with breweries and music venues. Surrounded by oak forests and prairie. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers got their start here.
in our guides
the verdict
under Chicago, every month
Gainesville sits well below Chicago on cost. Same paycheck, a noticeably lighter month.
a quick ledger.
$1,645/mo
24% cheaper than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)
0%
$412/mo less in state tax than Chicago
vs 4.95% in Chicago
$6,688/mo
$937 more than Chicago
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$317k
13% cheaper than Chicago
vs $365k in Chicago
350k
vs 9.3M in Chicago
field notes, weather & such.
206
pleasant days a year, in gainesville.
Chicago only manages 153 of those.
Lighter on events: Chicago packs 431.7× more into a month.
63/100
10% lower than Chicago
vs 70/100 in Chicago
Closest outdoor draw: Ocala National Forest, 29.5 mi.
91/100
9% lower than Chicago
vs 100/100 in Chicago
5
98% fewer than Chicago
vs 217 nonstops in Chicago
cities that play in gainesville's register:
compare gainesville with:
