with $100k coming in, swapping out of Birmingham

change
Harrisburg, PA cityscape

if you left birmingham

Harrisburg

pa · metro 606k

a dispatch from

harrisburg

PA

40.26°N

76.88°W

Harrisburg is the Pennsylvania state capital sitting on the Susquehanna River, with a gorgeous Beaux-Arts capitol building (Theodore Roosevelt called it the handsomest building he ever saw). City Island in the middle of the river is a small park with minor league baseball. Hershey is 15 minutes east (yes, that Hershey). Slower-paced than its metro neighbors.

metro606k

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$122

below Birmingham's monthly cost

Cost barely budges between Harrisburg and Birmingham. Pick this one for the texture of the days, not the math.
landable, recorded on the harrisburg entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,446/mo

3% more expensive than Birmingham(vs $1,407/mo)

02state income tax

3.07%

$161/mo less in state tax than Birmingham

vs 5% in Birmingham

03after rent

$6,632/mo

$122 more than Birmingham

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$309k

19% more expensive than Birmingham

vs $261k in Birmingham

05metro size

606k

vs 1.2M in Birmingham

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

152

pleasant days a year, in harrisburg.

Birmingham gets 171 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. A real winter, not a brutal one: 33 days under 20°, vs 4 in Birmingham.

But the calendar thins out: Birmingham stays 2.7× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

69/100

13% higher than Birmingham

vs 61/100 in Birmingham

Closest outdoor draw: Gifford Pinchot State Park, 12.7 mi.

·walk score®

93/100

18% higher than Birmingham

vs 79/100 in Birmingham

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

12

40% fewer than Birmingham

vs 20 nonstops in Birmingham

04 · see also

same energy as harrisburg, different zip code:

compare harrisburg with: