same $100k income, fresh start from Los Angeles

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Reading, PA cityscape

next stop after los angeles

Reading

pa · metro 433k

a dispatch from

reading

PA

40.33°N

75.93°W

Reading is the Pagoda lit up on Mount Penn (a Japanese-style pavilion built in 1908 that's become the city symbol), old factory bones, and the surrounding Berks County farmland. The downtown food and art scene is growing into the old factory bones, with breweries and galleries opening steadily. Pretzels, scrapple, and Pennsylvania Dutch baking are everywhere. Cheaper than nearby Lancaster.

metro433k

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$1,941

cheaper each month than Los Angeles

Reading is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
landable, recorded on the reading entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,478/mo

49% cheaper than Los Angeles(vs $2,899/mo)

02state income tax

3.07%

$519/mo less in state tax than Los Angeles

vs 9.3% in Los Angeles

03after rent

$6,600/mo

$1,941 more than Los Angeles

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$311k

70% cheaper than Los Angeles

vs $1029k in Los Angeles

05metro size

433k

vs 12.8M in Los Angeles

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

157

pleasant days a year, in reading.

Los Angeles edges ahead with 283 pleasant days. Winter has bite, though: 32 days drop below 20° vs Los Angeles's 0.

92% fewer events than Los Angeles. The pace eases up.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

3% lower than Los Angeles

vs 67/100 in Los Angeles

Closest outdoor draw: French Creek State Park, 9.6 mi.

·walk score®

85/100

11% lower than Los Angeles

vs 96/100 in Los Angeles

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Los Angeles

vs 150 nonstops in Los Angeles

04 · see also

if reading appeals, also worth a look:

compare reading with: