$100k salary, packing up from Portland
changea dispatch from
rochester
NY
43.16°N
77.62°W
Rochester is the city that Kodak and Xerox built, with a quiet college-town soul (UofR, RIT, Eastman School of Music). The Garbage Plate (cheeseburger, mac salad, home fries, hot sauce, on one plate) is the closest thing to a citywide handshake. Frederick Douglass made his home here, and the Susan B. Anthony House is downtown. The Finger Lakes wine country is right next door.
the verdict
below Portland's monthly cost
The gap is real. Rochester costs noticeably less than Portland, every month.
a quick ledger.
$1,534/mo
14% cheaper than Portland(vs $1,781/mo)
5.85%
$242/mo less in state tax than Portland
vs 8.75% in Portland
$6,312/mo
$489 more than Portland
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$273k
51% cheaper than Portland
vs $562k in Portland
1.1M
vs 2.5M in Portland
field notes, weather & such.
147
pleasant days a year, in rochester.
Portland gets 178 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Cold is the cost: 48 days drop below 20° vs Portland's 2.
Noticeably quieter than Portland. About 76% fewer events on a typical month.
58/100
33% lower than Portland
vs 87/100 in Portland
Closest outdoor draw: Letchworth State Park, 44.2 mi.
69/100
31% lower than Portland
vs 100/100 in Portland
18
68% fewer than Portland
vs 57 nonstops in Portland
if rochester appeals, also worth a look:
compare rochester with:
