$100k salary, packing up from Columbus
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
the monthly premium over Columbus
You'd pay for Grand Rapids. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
28% more expensive than Columbus(vs $1,264/mo)
4.25%
$103/mo less in state tax than Columbus
vs 5.49% in Columbus
$6,359/mo
$253 less than Columbus
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
70% more expensive than Columbus
vs $208k in Columbus
1.2M
vs 329k in Columbus
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Columbus actually gets more: 177 pleasant days a year. Bring a real coat. 50 days stay under 20°, well past Columbus's 2.
3.0× the events of Columbus, and the calendar shows it.
56/100
19% higher than Columbus
vs 47/100 in Columbus
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
24% higher than Columbus
vs 78/100 in Columbus
20
1900% more than Columbus
vs 1 nonstops in Columbus
cities that play in grand rapids's register:
