$100k salary, packing up from San Diego
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
under San Diego, every month
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
48% cheaper than San Diego(vs $2,890/mo)
3.07%
$519/mo less in state tax than San Diego
vs 9.3% in San Diego
$6,561/mo
$1,893 more than San Diego
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$384k
62% cheaper than San Diego
vs $1010k in San Diego
559k
vs 3.3M in San Diego
field notes, weather & such.
158
pleasant days a year, in lancaster.
San Diego edges ahead with 332 pleasant days. A real winter, not a brutal one: 25 days under 20°, vs 0 in San Diego.
San Diego hosts 11.6× more events.
63/100
16% lower than San Diego
vs 75/100 in San Diego
Closest outdoor draw: Susquehanna Riverlands State Park, 18.3 mi.
97/100
2% lower than San Diego
vs 99/100 in San Diego
1
98% fewer than San Diego
vs 55 nonstops in San Diego
if lancaster appeals, also worth a look:
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