$100k salary, packing up from Lancaster
changea dispatch from
durham
NC
35.99°N
78.90°W
Durham is Duke University, old tobacco warehouses turned into incredible restaurants and breweries (the American Tobacco Campus is a model for adaptive reuse), and a food scene that punches way above its size (multiple James Beard winners). Bull City pride runs deep. The Eno River and Duke Gardens are right in town. It's more diverse, weirder, and more interesting than outsiders expect.
the verdict
the monthly premium over Lancaster
Durham costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
a quick ledger.
$1,684/mo
11% more expensive than Lancaster(vs $1,517/mo)
4.5%
$119/mo more in state tax than Lancaster
vs 3.07% in Lancaster
$6,274/mo
$287 less than Lancaster
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$415k
8% more expensive than Lancaster
vs $384k in Lancaster
609k
vs 559k in Lancaster
field notes, weather & such.
178
pleasant days a year, in durham.
Lancaster only manages 158 of those.
133% more happening than in Lancaster.
50/100
21% lower than Lancaster
vs 63/100 in Lancaster
Closest outdoor draw: William B. Umstead State Park, 10.9 mi.
80/100
18% lower than Lancaster
vs 97/100 in Lancaster
39
3800% more than Lancaster
vs 1 nonstops in Lancaster
neighbors of durham on the map of tradeoffs:
compare durham with:
