on $100k a year, leaving Lafayette
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
more each month than Lafayette ran you
You'd pay for Grand Rapids. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
22% more expensive than Lafayette(vs $1,332/mo)
4.25%
$104/mo more in state tax than Lafayette
vs 3% in Lafayette
$6,359/mo
$392 less than Lafayette
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
76% more expensive than Lafayette
vs $200k in Lafayette
1.2M
vs 414k in Lafayette
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Lafayette actually gets more: 211 pleasant days a year. Bring a real coat. 50 days stay under 20°, well past Lafayette's 0.
A real upgrade on things to do: 13.8× Lafayette's pace.
56/100
30% higher than Lafayette
vs 43/100 in Lafayette
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
14% higher than Lafayette
vs 85/100 in Lafayette
20
567% more than Lafayette
vs 3 nonstops in Lafayette
neighbors of grand rapids on the map of tradeoffs:
