same $100k income, fresh start from Milwaukee

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Albuquerque, NM cityscape

swapping out of milwaukee

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

$46

cheaper each month than Milwaukee

A near-tie on cost. What separates Albuquerque is the life around the numbers.
landable, recorded on the albuquerque entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,489/mo

1% cheaper than Milwaukee(vs $1,504/mo)

02state income tax

5.9%

$31/mo less in state tax than Milwaukee

vs 6.27% in Milwaukee

03after rent

$6,353/mo

$46 more than Milwaukee

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

04a house here

$351k

11% cheaper than Milwaukee

vs $394k in Milwaukee

05metro size

924k

vs 1.6M in Milwaukee

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

205

pleasant days a year, in albuquerque.

Milwaukee barely cracks 149 pleasant ones. Summers run hot, though: 34 days above 95° vs Milwaukee's 0.

Lighter on events: Milwaukee packs 1.7× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

81/100

33% higher than Milwaukee

vs 61/100 in Milwaukee

Closest outdoor draw: Sandia Mountain Wilderness, 13.4 mi.

·walk score®

94/100

4% lower than Milwaukee

vs 98/100 in Milwaukee

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

23

23% fewer than Milwaukee

vs 30 nonstops in Milwaukee

04 · see also

same energy as albuquerque, different zip code:

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