same $100k income, fresh start from New Orleans

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Sarasota, FL cityscape

from new orleans

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.

metro262k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$259

pricier each month than New Orleans

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

32% more expensive than New Orleans(vs $1,612/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$250/mo less in state tax than New Orleans

vs 3% in New Orleans

03after rent

$6,212/mo

$259 less than New Orleans

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

04a house here

$423k

63% more expensive than New Orleans

vs $259k in New Orleans

05metro size

262k

vs 962k in New Orleans

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

249

pleasant days a year, in sarasota.

New Orleans keeps to 235 pleasant days a year.

But the calendar thins out: New Orleans stays 32.0× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

59/100

7% higher than New Orleans

vs 55/100 in New Orleans

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

·walk score®

96/100

2% lower than New Orleans

vs 98/100 in New Orleans

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

6

85% fewer than New Orleans

vs 39 nonstops in New Orleans

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