$100k a year, no longer in Birmingham

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Asheville, NC cityscape

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Asheville

nc · metro 417k

photo: Ken Jacobsen / pexels

a dispatch from

asheville

NC

35.58°N

82.55°W

Asheville is what happens when a mountain town and an art school have a baby and raise it on craft beer. Downtown packs more breweries per capita than almost anywhere in America, plus buskers on every corner and Art Deco buildings the Depression accidentally preserved (the city went broke before it could tear them down). The Biltmore, America's largest private home, looms on the edge of town like a stone-carved flex. Remote workers keep showing up, which is how you know.

metro417k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$290

more each month than Birmingham ran you

Asheville costs more than Birmingham, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
landable, recorded on the asheville entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,738/mo

24% more expensive than Birmingham(vs $1,407/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$42/mo less in state tax than Birmingham

vs 5% in Birmingham

03after rent

$6,220/mo

$290 less than Birmingham

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

04a house here

$430k

65% more expensive than Birmingham

vs $261k in Birmingham

05metro size

417k

vs 1.2M in Birmingham

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

201

pleasant days a year, in asheville.

Birmingham only logs 171 pleasant days.

Birmingham hosts 2.6× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

66/100

8% higher than Birmingham

vs 61/100 in Birmingham

Closest outdoor draw: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 74.8 mi.

·walk score®

63/100

20% lower than Birmingham

vs 79/100 in Birmingham

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

8

60% fewer than Birmingham

vs 20 nonstops in Birmingham

04 · see also

if asheville appeals, also worth a look:

see also

charleston

more flight options

turn the page

see also

greenville

$21/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

reno

$205/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare asheville with:

CharlestonGreenvilleReno