$100k salary, packing up from Little Rock

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Albuquerque, NM cityscape

if you left little rock

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

$405

the monthly premium over Little Rock

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

23% more expensive than Little Rock(vs $1,209/mo)

02state income tax

5.9%

$125/mo more in state tax than Little Rock

vs 4.4% in Little Rock

03after rent

$6,353/mo

$405 less than Little Rock

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

04a house here

$351k

54% more expensive than Little Rock

vs $228k in Little Rock

05metro size

924k

vs 765k in Little Rock

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

205

pleasant days a year, in albuquerque.

Little Rock only manages 163 of those.

3.2× the events of Little Rock, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

81/100

50% higher than Little Rock

vs 54/100 in Little Rock

Closest outdoor draw: Sandia Mountain Wilderness, 13.4 mi.

·walk score®

94/100

92% higher than Little Rock

vs 49/100 in Little Rock

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

23

35% more than Little Rock

vs 17 nonstops in Little Rock

04 · see also

if albuquerque appeals, also worth a look:

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