on $100k a year, leaving Baton Rouge

change
Sarasota, FL cityscape

instead of baton rouge

Sarasota

fl · metro 262k

photo: Jeffrey Eisen / pexels

a dispatch from

sarasota

FL

27.34°N

82.54°W

Sarasota is the home of the Ringling Brothers Circus (the museum is wild, and yes, there's a vintage clown college history), and Siesta Key's beach is regularly named the best in America for its pure quartz sand. The cultural scene is heavy for a Florida city of its size (theater, opera, art museum). Gulf sunsets here are the brochure shot. The food scene has caught up to the city's wealth and the retirees' time.

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$510

pricier each month than Baton Rouge

You'd pay for Sarasota. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
landable, recorded on the sarasota entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,121/mo

56% more expensive than Baton Rouge(vs $1,361/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$250/mo less in state tax than Baton Rouge

vs 3% in Baton Rouge

03after rent

$6,212/mo

$510 less than Baton Rouge

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

04a house here

$423k

69% more expensive than Baton Rouge

vs $250k in Baton Rouge

05metro size

262k

vs 874k in Baton Rouge

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

249

pleasant days a year, in sarasota.

Baton Rouge keeps to 187 pleasant days a year.

80% fewer events than Baton Rouge. The pace eases up.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

59/100

18% higher than Baton Rouge

vs 50/100 in Baton Rouge

Closest outdoor draw: Myakka River State Park, 15.9 mi.

·walk score®

96/100

28% higher than Baton Rouge

vs 75/100 in Baton Rouge

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

6

50% more than Baton Rouge

vs 4 nonstops in Baton Rouge

04 · see also

neighbors of sarasota on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

myrtle beach

more flight options

turn the page

see also

wilmington

$71/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

pensacola

$369/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare sarasota with:

Myrtle BeachWilmingtonPensacola