$100k salary, packing up from Sacramento
changea dispatch from
lancaster
PA
40.04°N
76.30°W
Lancaster is the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country, with horse-drawn buggies on rural roads and the Central Market (the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country, since the 1730s). The food scene is sneaky-strong, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous, and the city's downtown has come back nicely. Whoopie pies, shoofly pies, and sticky buns are mandatory.
the verdict
below Sacramento's monthly cost
Lancaster is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
a quick ledger.
$1,517/mo
32% cheaper than Sacramento(vs $2,226/mo)
3.07%
$519/mo less in state tax than Sacramento
vs 9.3% in Sacramento
$6,561/mo
$1,229 more than Sacramento
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$384k
35% cheaper than Sacramento
vs $589k in Sacramento
559k
vs 2.4M in Sacramento
field notes, weather & such.
158
pleasant days a year, in lancaster.
Sacramento gets 211 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter has bite, though: 25 days drop below 20° vs Sacramento's 0.
Lighter on events: Sacramento packs 5.6× more into a month.
63/100
16% lower than Sacramento
vs 75/100 in Sacramento
Closest outdoor draw: Susquehanna Riverlands State Park, 18.3 mi.
97/100
1% lower than Sacramento
vs 98/100 in Sacramento
1
96% fewer than Sacramento
vs 28 nonstops in Sacramento
compare lancaster with:
