same $100k income, fresh start from Anchorage

change
El Paso, TX cityscape

swapping out of anchorage

El Paso

tx · metro 872k

photo: Gene Maysonet / pexels

a dispatch from

el paso

TX

31.76°N

106.49°W

El Paso has the Franklin Mountains running right through the middle of the city (which is rare), with hiking trails inside city limits and the desert wide open just past the suburbs. The Mexican food is exceptional in ways that the rest of Texas doesn't quite match (it's true regional border food). Ciudad Juarez is literally next door across the Rio Grande. The light at sunset is unreal.

metro872k

in our guides

#8

of 10

Affordable cities for outdoor lovers

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best mid-sized US cities

read the guide
#2

of 10

Best affordable cities to retire

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best cities for retirees who love the outdoors

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities in states with no income tax

read the guide
#10

of 10

Best cities to leave Chicago for

read the guide
#5

of 10

Affordable alternatives to Austin

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best cities to leave Denver for

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best cities for a $200k salary

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best cities to buy a home

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best cities to leave Miami for

read the guide
#7

of 10

Best cities for snowbirds

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities to leave Portland for

read the guide
#6

of 10

Affordable alternatives to Miami

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best cities where buying beats renting

read the guide
#1

of 10

Best cities to live in Texas

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities to leave San Diego for

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities to leave Minneapolis for

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best cities for a $60k salary

read the guide

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$240

under Anchorage, every month

El Paso is the easier version of your monthly budget. Lower rent, lighter monthly outlay.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

14% cheaper than Anchorage(vs $1,713/mo)

02state income tax

0%

vs 0% in Anchorage

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$240 more than Anchorage

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

04a house here

$231k

47% cheaper than Anchorage

vs $438k in Anchorage

05metro size

872k

vs 401k in Anchorage

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Anchorage barely cracks 93 pleasant ones. Heat is the cost: 60 days top 95° vs Anchorage's 0.

·outdoorscore

65/100

4% lower than Anchorage

vs 68/100 in Anchorage

Closest outdoor draw: White Sands National Park, 72.1 mi.

·walk score®

93/100

18% higher than Anchorage

vs 79/100 in Anchorage

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

62% fewer than Anchorage

vs 34 nonstops in Anchorage

04 · see also

neighbors of el paso on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

roanoke

more things to do

turn the page

see also

lexington

more things to do

turn the page

see also

huntsville

more things to do

turn the page

compare el paso with:

RoanokeLexingtonHuntsville