same $100k income, fresh start from New York
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
under New York, every month
Durham sits well below New York on cost. Same paycheck, a noticeably lighter month.
a quick ledger.
$1,684/mo
49% cheaper than New York(vs $3,329/mo)
4.5%
$519/mo less in state tax than New York
vs 10.73% in New York
$6,274/mo
$2,164 more than New York
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$415k
44% cheaper than New York
vs $739k in New York
609k
vs 19.5M in New York
field notes, weather & such.
178
pleasant days a year, in durham.
New York barely cracks 171 pleasant ones.
But the calendar thins out: New York stays 111.6× busier.
50/100
36% lower than New York
vs 78/100 in New York
Closest outdoor draw: William B. Umstead State Park, 10.9 mi.
80/100
20% lower than New York
vs 100/100 in New York
39
82% fewer than New York
vs 215 nonstops in New York
neighbors of durham on the map of tradeoffs:
compare durham with:
