with $100k coming in, swapping out of St. Louis
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
cheaper each month than St. Louis
Money-wise it's a wash. The case for Lancaster is everything that isn't rent.
a quick ledger.
$1,517/mo
8% more expensive than St. Louis(vs $1,411/mo)
3.07%
$136/mo less in state tax than St. Louis
vs 4.7% in St. Louis
$6,561/mo
$30 more than St. Louis
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$384k
39% more expensive than St. Louis
vs $277k in St. Louis
559k
vs 2.8M in St. Louis
field notes, weather & such.
158
pleasant days a year, in lancaster.
St. Louis actually gets more: 174 pleasant days a year.
St. Louis hosts 5.3× more events.
63/100
7% lower than St. Louis
vs 68/100 in St. Louis
Closest outdoor draw: Susquehanna Riverlands State Park, 18.3 mi.
97/100
11% higher than St. Louis
vs 87/100 in St. Louis
1
98% fewer than St. Louis
vs 60 nonstops in St. Louis
neighbors of lancaster on the map of tradeoffs:
compare lancaster with:
