on $100k a year, leaving Memphis
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 Memphis
Grand Rapids runs a little pricier than Memphis. The case has to be about something other than rent.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
13% more expensive than Memphis(vs $1,436/mo)
4.25%
$354/mo more in state tax than Memphis
vs 0% in Memphis
$6,359/mo
$538 less than Memphis
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
45% more expensive than Memphis
vs $244k in Memphis
1.2M
vs 1.3M in Memphis
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Memphis edges ahead with 185 pleasant days. Cold is the cost: 50 days drop below 20° vs Memphis's 5.
A month here packs 1.9× the events of Memphis.
56/100
0% lower than Memphis
vs 56/100 in Memphis
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
9% higher than Memphis
vs 89/100 in Memphis
20
37% fewer than Memphis
vs 32 nonstops in Memphis
in the same ballpark as grand rapids:
