$100k a year, no longer in Kingsport
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 Kingsport
Grand Rapids costs more than Kingsport, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
17% more expensive than Kingsport(vs $1,383/mo)
4.25%
$354/mo more in state tax than Kingsport
vs 0% in Kingsport
$6,359/mo
$591 less than Kingsport
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
44% more expensive than Kingsport
vs $244k in Kingsport
1.2M
vs 312k in Kingsport
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Kingsport gets 188 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter has bite, though: 50 days drop below 20° vs Kingsport's 15.
8.6× the events of Kingsport, and the calendar shows it.
56/100
5% lower than Kingsport
vs 59/100 in Kingsport
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
31% higher than Kingsport
vs 74/100 in Kingsport
20
400% more than Kingsport
vs 4 nonstops in Kingsport
in the same ballpark as grand rapids:
