$100k a year, no longer in Santa Rosa

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Asheville, NC cityscape

next stop after santa rosa

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

$1,259

under Santa Rosa, every month

Asheville sits well below Santa Rosa on cost. Same paycheck, a noticeably lighter month.
landable, recorded on the asheville entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,738/mo

33% cheaper than Santa Rosa(vs $2,597/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$400/mo less in state tax than Santa Rosa

vs 9.3% in Santa Rosa

03after rent

$6,220/mo

$1,259 more than Santa Rosa

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

04a house here

$430k

47% cheaper than Santa Rosa

vs $817k in Santa Rosa

05metro size

417k

vs 482k in Santa Rosa

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

201

pleasant days a year, in asheville.

Santa Rosa edges ahead with 254 pleasant days.

A real upgrade on things to do: 35.0× Santa Rosa's pace.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

66/100

4% lower than Santa Rosa

vs 69/100 in Santa Rosa

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

·walk score®

63/100

36% lower than Santa Rosa

vs 98/100 in Santa Rosa

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

8

100% more than Santa Rosa

vs 4 nonstops in Santa Rosa

04 · see also

if asheville appeals, also worth a look:

compare asheville with: