News
Study says Grand Rapids offers nation's 'most balanced lifestyle'
February 15, 2018
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Never mind the time you spent shoveling snow this weekend. West Michigan offers the best balance of affordable housing, shopping, commuting times and health, according to a survey by MagnifyMoney.com, a personal finance website.
"Residents of Grand Rapids work a little harder for their money than those at other top cities on our list, but that money seems to work a lot harder for them, too," the website said in a Feb. 8 article.
The website's survey of 50 metropolitan areas ranked the communities on factors that included average sleep time, commuting time, housing costs relative to income, income relative to hours worked, income inequality and the cost of consumer goods and services.
"Generally, housing only costs 18 percent of income, commutes are under 22 minutes, prices on consumer goods are about 5 percent lower than the national average, and income inequality is relatively low," said MagnifyMoney, which gave the Grand Rapids metropolitan area a score of 83 out of 100.