$100k salary, packing up from Melbourne

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Sarasota, FL cityscape

from melbourne

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

$226

the monthly cost of moving past Melbourne

Sarasota costs more than Melbourne, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
landable, recorded on the sarasota entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$2,121/mo

12% more expensive than Melbourne(vs $1,895/mo)

02state income tax

0%

vs 0% in Melbourne

03after rent

$6,212/mo

$226 less than Melbourne

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

04a house here

$423k

20% more expensive than Melbourne

vs $351k in Melbourne

05metro size

262k

vs 644k in Melbourne

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

249

pleasant days a year, in sarasota.

Melbourne gets 254 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine.

·outdoorscore

59/100

7% higher than Melbourne

vs 55/100 in Melbourne

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

·walk score®

96/100

14% higher than Melbourne

vs 84/100 in Melbourne

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

6

200% more than Melbourne

vs 2 nonstops in Melbourne

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