same $100k income, fresh start from Wichita
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 Wichita
Grand Rapids costs more than Wichita, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
a quick ledger.
$1,620/mo
38% more expensive than Wichita(vs $1,173/mo)
4.25%
$121/mo less in state tax than Wichita
vs 5.7% in Wichita
$6,359/mo
$326 less than Wichita
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$353k
59% more expensive than Wichita
vs $221k in Wichita
1.2M
vs 653k in Wichita
field notes, weather & such.
151
pleasant days a year, in grand rapids.
Wichita gets 164 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. A real winter, not a brutal one: 50 days under 20°, vs 20 in Wichita.
A real upgrade on things to do: 3.8× Wichita's pace.
56/100
8% higher than Wichita
vs 52/100 in Wichita
Closest outdoor draw: White Pine Trail State Park, 5.4 mi.
97/100
41% higher than Wichita
vs 69/100 in Wichita
20
82% more than Wichita
vs 11 nonstops in Wichita
cities that play in grand rapids's register:
