on $100k a year, leaving Allentown
changea dispatch from
grand rapids
MI
42.96°N
85.67°W
Grand Rapids has won Beer City USA multiple times, hosts ArtPrize (one of the world's largest open art competitions every fall), and built itself on furniture (Steelcase, Herman Miller). The Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park is a sleeper world-class attraction. Downtown is walkable, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous in autumn, and Lake Michigan beaches are 30 minutes west. Quietly excellent.
the verdict
lighter monthly cost than Allentown
Money-wise it's a wash. The case for Grand Rapids is everything that isn't rent.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
10% cheaper than Allentown(vs $1,809/mo)
4.25%
$98/mo more in state tax than Allentown
vs 3.07% in Allentown
$6,359/mo
$90 more than Allentown
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
2% cheaper than Allentown
vs $359k in Allentown
1.2M
vs 874k in Allentown
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Allentown gets 157 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter has bite, though: 50 days drop below 20° vs Allentown's 32.
156% more happening than in Allentown.
56/100
23% lower than Allentown
vs 73/100 in Allentown
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
13% higher than Allentown
vs 86/100 in Allentown
20
122% more than Allentown
vs 9 nonstops in Allentown
cities that play in grand rapids's register:
