same $100k income, fresh start from Lancaster
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 expensive each month than Lancaster
Grand Rapids costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
7% more expensive than Lancaster(vs $1,517/mo)
4.25%
$98/mo more in state tax than Lancaster
vs 3.07% in Lancaster
$6,359/mo
$202 less than Lancaster
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
8% cheaper than Lancaster
vs $384k in Lancaster
1.2M
vs 559k in Lancaster
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Lancaster actually gets more: 158 pleasant days a year. Cold snaps are part of the year: 50 days below 20° here, 25 in Lancaster.
4.6× the events of Lancaster, and the calendar shows it.
56/100
11% lower than Lancaster
vs 63/100 in Lancaster
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
0% lower than Lancaster
vs 97/100 in Lancaster
20
1900% more than Lancaster
vs 1 nonstops in Lancaster
cities that play in grand rapids's register:
