with $100k coming in, swapping out of Santa Maria
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
below Santa Maria's monthly cost
Move to Grand Rapids and the monthly math gets easier. Santa Maria's rent is the headline; Grand Rapids's is a footnote.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
52% cheaper than Santa Maria(vs $3,352/mo)
4.25%
$421/mo less in state tax than Santa Maria
vs 9.3% in Santa Maria
$6,359/mo
$2,153 more than Santa Maria
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
67% cheaper than Santa Maria
vs $1059k in Santa Maria
1.2M
vs 441k in Santa Maria
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Santa Maria actually gets more: 337 pleasant days a year. The trade is winter: 50 days below 20°, vs 0 in Santa Maria.
56/100
5% lower than Santa Maria
vs 59/100 in Santa Maria
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
11% higher than Santa Maria
vs 87/100 in Santa Maria
20
900% more than Santa Maria
vs 2 nonstops in Santa Maria
in the same ballpark as grand rapids:
