same $100k income, fresh start from Los Angeles
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
lighter monthly cost than Los Angeles
Kansas City runs on a fraction of Los Angeles's budget. Same paycheck, real lifestyle upgrade.
a quick ledger.
$1,502/mo
48% cheaper than Los Angeles(vs $2,899/mo)
4.7%
$383/mo less in state tax than Los Angeles
vs 9.3% in Los Angeles
$6,440/mo
$1,781 more than Los Angeles
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$326k
68% cheaper than Los Angeles
vs $1029k in Los Angeles
2.2M
vs 12.8M in Los Angeles
field notes, weather & such.
170
pleasant days a year, in kansas city.
Los Angeles edges ahead with 283 pleasant days. Winter has bite, though: 26 days drop below 20° vs Los Angeles's 0.
76% fewer events than Los Angeles. The pace eases up.
56/100
16% lower than Los Angeles
vs 67/100 in Los Angeles
Closest outdoor draw: Perry State Park, 48.7 mi.
94/100
2% lower than Los Angeles
vs 96/100 in Los Angeles
43
71% fewer than Los Angeles
vs 150 nonstops in Los Angeles
neighbors of kansas city on the map of tradeoffs:
