with $100k coming in, swapping out of Tucson
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 Tucson
Grand Rapids runs a little pricier than Tucson. The case has to be about something other than rent.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
12% more expensive than Tucson(vs $1,444/mo)
4.25%
$146/mo more in state tax than Tucson
vs 2.5% in Tucson
$6,359/mo
$322 less than Tucson
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
0% more expensive than Tucson
vs $352k in Tucson
1.2M
vs 1.1M in Tucson
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Tucson edges ahead with 202 pleasant days. Cold is the cost: 50 days drop below 20° vs Tucson's 0.
A real upgrade on things to do: 2.1× Tucson's pace.
56/100
15% lower than Tucson
vs 66/100 in Tucson
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
45% higher than Tucson
vs 67/100 in Tucson
20
25% more than Tucson
vs 16 nonstops in Tucson
in the same ballpark as grand rapids:
