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Albuquerque, NM cityscape

next stop after cleveland

Albuquerque

nm · metro 924k

photo: Lad Fury / pexels

a dispatch from

albuquerque

NM

35.08°N

106.65°W

Albuquerque is green chile on everything, the Sandia Mountains turning pink at sunset (the name literally means watermelon), and the Balloon Fiesta in October when 500+ hot air balloons fill the sky. The old town adobes feel like the 1700s, the food fuses Native, Mexican, and Spanish in ways you won't get anywhere else. Breaking Bad fans will recognize half the city, and locals are good-natured about it.

metro924k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$229

pricier each month than Cleveland

You'd pay for Albuquerque. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
landable, recorded on the albuquerque entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,489/mo

5% more expensive than Cleveland(vs $1,419/mo)

02state income tax

5.9%

$159/mo more in state tax than Cleveland

vs 3.99% in Cleveland

03after rent

$6,353/mo

$229 less than Cleveland

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

04a house here

$351k

40% more expensive than Cleveland

vs $252k in Cleveland

05metro size

924k

vs 2.2M in Cleveland

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

205

pleasant days a year, in albuquerque.

Cleveland only manages 159 of those. Warm, not extreme: 34 days clear 95°, vs 0 back in Cleveland.

But the calendar thins out: Cleveland stays 2.1× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

81/100

29% higher than Cleveland

vs 63/100 in Cleveland

Closest outdoor draw: Sandia Mountain Wilderness, 13.4 mi.

·walk score®

94/100

2% lower than Cleveland

vs 96/100 in Cleveland

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

23

59% fewer than Cleveland

vs 56 nonstops in Cleveland

04 · see also

cities that play in albuquerque's register:

see also

spartanburg

$5/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

greenville

more things to do

turn the page

see also

spokane

$460/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare albuquerque with:

SpartanburgGreenvilleSpokane