on $100k a year, leaving Milwaukee
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
lighter monthly cost than Milwaukee
Grand Rapids and Milwaukee land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
8% more expensive than Milwaukee(vs $1,504/mo)
4.25%
$168/mo less in state tax than Milwaukee
vs 6.27% in Milwaukee
$6,359/mo
$52 more than Milwaukee
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
11% cheaper than Milwaukee
vs $394k in Milwaukee
1.2M
vs 1.6M in Milwaukee
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Milwaukee only manages 149 of those.
Comparable to Milwaukee for events and concerts.
56/100
8% lower than Milwaukee
vs 61/100 in Milwaukee
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
1% lower than Milwaukee
vs 98/100 in Milwaukee
20
33% fewer than Milwaukee
vs 30 nonstops in Milwaukee
neighbors of grand rapids on the map of tradeoffs:
compare grand rapids with:
