on $100k a year, leaving Lakeland

change
Sarasota, FL cityscape

instead of lakeland

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

$287

more each month than Lakeland ran you

Sarasota costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
landable, recorded on the sarasota entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,121/mo

16% more expensive than Lakeland(vs $1,834/mo)

02state income tax

0%

vs 0% in Lakeland

03after rent

$6,212/mo

$287 less than Lakeland

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

04a house here

$423k

40% more expensive than Lakeland

vs $301k in Lakeland

05metro size

262k

vs 818k in Lakeland

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

249

pleasant days a year, in sarasota.

Lakeland keeps to 206 pleasant days a year.

Noticeably quieter than Lakeland. About 75% fewer events on a typical month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

59/100

23% higher than Lakeland

vs 48/100 in Lakeland

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

·walk score®

96/100

45% higher than Lakeland

vs 66/100 in Lakeland

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

6

91% fewer than Lakeland

vs 68 nonstops in Lakeland

04 · see also

if sarasota appeals, also worth a look:

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