$100k salary, packing up from Toledo

change
Sarasota, FL cityscape

next stop after toledo

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

in our guides

#10

of 10

Sunniest affordable US cities

read the guide
#10

of 10

Affordable cities to escape the cold

read the guide
#3

of 10

Low-tax cities with great weather

read the guide
#2

of 10

Best cities in states with no income tax

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities to live in the South

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best small cities to live in

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities on the East Coast

read the guide
#2

of 10

Best cities to live in Florida

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities for a $150k salary

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities for a $200k salary

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best cities to live in the Southeast

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities for foodies

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best cities to leave San Diego for

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best cities to live in your 30s

read the guide

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$592

the monthly premium over Toledo

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

77% more expensive than Toledo(vs $1,197/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$332/mo less in state tax than Toledo

vs 3.99% in Toledo

03after rent

$6,212/mo

$592 less than Toledo

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

04a house here

$423k

115% more expensive than Toledo

vs $196k in Toledo

05metro size

262k

vs 600k in Toledo

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

249

pleasant days a year, in sarasota.

Toledo keeps to 159 pleasant days a year.

But the calendar thins out: Toledo stays 8.3× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

59/100

7% higher than Toledo

vs 55/100 in Toledo

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

·walk score®

96/100

68% higher than Toledo

vs 57/100 in Toledo

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

6

50% more than Toledo

vs 4 nonstops in Toledo

04 · see also

same energy as sarasota, different zip code:

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