$100k salary, packing up from Durham
changea dispatch from
kansas city
MO
39.10°N
94.58°W
Kansas City is barbecue (burnt ends are a local invention), jazz (the 18th and Vine district fed Charlie Parker and Count Basie), and fountains everywhere you turn. The city straddles two states and doesn't make a big deal out of it. The Plaza shopping district looks like Seville, which is delightfully odd for the Midwest. Friendly here means genuinely friendly.
the verdict
less monthly outlay than Durham
Money-wise it's a wash. The case for Kansas City is everything that isn't rent.
a quick ledger.
$1,502/mo
11% cheaper than Durham(vs $1,684/mo)
4.7%
$17/mo more in state tax than Durham
vs 4.5% in Durham
$6,440/mo
$166 more than Durham
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$326k
21% cheaper than Durham
vs $415k in Durham
2.2M
vs 609k in Durham
field notes, weather & such.
170
pleasant days a year, in kansas city.
Durham edges ahead with 178 pleasant days. A real winter, not a brutal one: 26 days under 20°, vs 5 in Durham.
Nights and weekends fill up faster. 2.4× more on the calendar than Durham.
56/100
12% higher than Durham
vs 50/100 in Durham
Closest outdoor draw: Perry State Park, 48.7 mi.
94/100
18% higher than Durham
vs 80/100 in Durham
43
10% more than Durham
vs 39 nonstops in Durham
same energy as kansas city, different zip code:
