on $100k a year, leaving Cincinnati
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
pricier each month than Cincinnati
Almost a wash on cost. The case for Grand Rapids is about what you'd do there, not what you'd save.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
5% more expensive than Cincinnati(vs $1,549/mo)
4.25%
$22/mo more in state tax than Cincinnati
vs 3.99% in Cincinnati
$6,359/mo
$93 less than Cincinnati
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
12% more expensive than Cincinnati
vs $316k in Cincinnati
1.2M
vs 2.3M in Cincinnati
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Cincinnati edges ahead with 162 pleasant days. A real winter, not a brutal one: 50 days under 20°, vs 26 in Cincinnati.
Things to do run about even with Cincinnati.
56/100
22% lower than Cincinnati
vs 72/100 in Cincinnati
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
1% higher than Cincinnati
vs 96/100 in Cincinnati
20
57% fewer than Cincinnati
vs 47 nonstops in Cincinnati
in the same ballpark as grand rapids:
