$100k salary, packing up from Portland
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 Portland
The gap is real. Kansas City costs noticeably less than Portland, every month.
a quick ledger.
$1,502/mo
16% cheaper than Portland(vs $1,781/mo)
4.7%
$337/mo less in state tax than Portland
vs 8.75% in Portland
$6,440/mo
$617 more than Portland
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$326k
42% cheaper than Portland
vs $562k in Portland
2.2M
vs 2.5M in Portland
field notes, weather & such.
170
pleasant days a year, in kansas city.
Portland has the edge here, logging 178 pleasant days a year. Cold snaps are part of the year: 26 days below 20° here, 2 in Portland.
But the calendar thins out: Portland stays 1.5× busier.
56/100
36% lower than Portland
vs 87/100 in Portland
Closest outdoor draw: Perry State Park, 48.7 mi.
94/100
6% lower than Portland
vs 100/100 in Portland
43
25% fewer than Portland
vs 57 nonstops in Portland
cities that play in kansas city's register:
