$100k a year, no longer in Jacksonville
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 cost of moving past Jacksonville
Grand Rapids costs more than Jacksonville, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
4% cheaper than Jacksonville(vs $1,679/mo)
4.25%
$354/mo more in state tax than Jacksonville
vs 0% in Jacksonville
$6,359/mo
$295 less than Jacksonville
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
1% cheaper than Jacksonville
vs $358k in Jacksonville
1.2M
vs 1.7M in Jacksonville
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Jacksonville gets 198 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Cold is the cost: 50 days drop below 20° vs Jacksonville's 0.
A month here packs 1.3× the events of Jacksonville.
56/100
12% lower than Jacksonville
vs 64/100 in Jacksonville
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
4% higher than Jacksonville
vs 93/100 in Jacksonville
20
23% fewer than Jacksonville
vs 26 nonstops in Jacksonville
in the same ballpark as grand rapids:
