01 · the cities
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids has won Beer City USA multiple times, hosts ArtPrize (one of the world's largest open art competitions every fall), and built itself on furniture (Steelcase, Herman Miller). The Frederik Meijer Sculpture Park is a sleeper world-class attraction. Downtown is walkable, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous in autumn, and Lake Michigan beaches are 30 minutes west. Quietly excellent.
full dispatch→Rochester
Rochester is the city that Kodak and Xerox built, with a quiet college-town soul (UofR, RIT, Eastman School of Music). The Garbage Plate (cheeseburger, mac salad, home fries, hot sauce, on one plate) is the closest thing to a citywide handshake. Frederick Douglass made his home here, and the Susan B. Anthony House is downtown. The Finger Lakes wine country is right next door.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,620/mo
$1,534/mo
$86/mo less than Grand Rapids (6%)
Median home price
Median home price
$353k
$273k
$79k less than Grand Rapids
State income tax
State income tax
4.3%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,359/mo
$6,312/mo
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
151 days
147 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
50 days
48 days
days below 20°F per year
Grand Rapids and Rochester have remarkably similar weather profiles overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
56 / 100
58 / 100
2.0 pts ahead of Grand Rapids
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
20 routes
18 routes
Metro size
Metro size
1.2M metro
1.1M metro
Grand Rapids has 2.3x more events per month than Rochester.
the verdict
2
Grand Rapids
categories won
3
Rochester
categories won
Rochester leads on lifestyle and wins overall.
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