$100k a year, no longer in Tallahassee
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 cost of moving past Tallahassee
Grand Rapids costs more than Tallahassee, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
6% more expensive than Tallahassee(vs $1,527/mo)
4.25%
$354/mo more in state tax than Tallahassee
vs 0% in Tallahassee
$6,359/mo
$447 less than Tallahassee
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
22% more expensive than Tallahassee
vs $289k in Tallahassee
1.2M
vs 393k in Tallahassee
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Tallahassee gets 186 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter asks for something in return: 50 days under 20° here, 0 in Tallahassee.
Nights and weekends fill up faster. 34.5× more on the calendar than Tallahassee.
56/100
3% lower than Tallahassee
vs 58/100 in Tallahassee
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
26% higher than Tallahassee
vs 77/100 in Tallahassee
20
186% more than Tallahassee
vs 7 nonstops in Tallahassee
in the same ballpark as grand rapids:
