with $100k coming in, swapping out of Springfield

change
Asheville, NC cityscape

if you left springfield

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

$473

pricier each month than Springfield

Asheville costs more than Springfield, 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

39% more expensive than Springfield(vs $1,249/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$17/mo less in state tax than Springfield

vs 4.7% in Springfield

03after rent

$6,220/mo

$473 less than Springfield

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

04a house here

$430k

60% more expensive than Springfield

vs $268k in Springfield

05metro size

417k

vs 491k in Springfield

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

201

pleasant days a year, in asheville.

Springfield only logs 170 pleasant days.

A real upgrade on things to do: 2.2× Springfield's pace.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

66/100

32% higher than Springfield

vs 50/100 in Springfield

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

·walk score®

63/100

29% lower than Springfield

vs 89/100 in Springfield

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

8

11% fewer than Springfield

vs 9 nonstops in Springfield

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