on $100k a year, leaving Portland

change
Asheville, NC cityscape

if you left portland

Asheville

nc · metro 417k

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

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$397

below Portland's monthly cost

The gap is real. Asheville costs noticeably less than Portland, every month.
landable, recorded on the asheville entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,738/mo

2% cheaper than Portland(vs $1,781/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$354/mo less in state tax than Portland

vs 8.75% in Portland

03after rent

$6,220/mo

$397 more than Portland

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

04a house here

$430k

24% cheaper than Portland

vs $562k in Portland

05metro size

417k

vs 2.5M in Portland

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

201

pleasant days a year, in asheville.

Portland only logs 178 pleasant days.

But the calendar thins out: Portland stays 3.5× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

66/100

24% lower than Portland

vs 87/100 in Portland

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

·walk score®

63/100

37% lower than Portland

vs 100/100 in Portland

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

8

86% fewer than Portland

vs 57 nonstops in Portland

04 · see also

if asheville appeals, also worth a look:

compare asheville with: