on $100k a year, leaving Boise

change
El Paso, TX cityscape

instead of boise

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

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$804

lighter monthly cost than Boise

El Paso runs on a fraction of Boise's budget. Same paycheck, real lifestyle upgrade.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

18% cheaper than Boise(vs $1,794/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$483/mo less in state tax than Boise

vs 5.8% in Boise

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$804 more than Boise

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

04a house here

$231k

53% cheaper than Boise

vs $490k in Boise

05metro size

872k

vs 827k in Boise

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Boise only manages 166 of those. Warm, not extreme: 60 days clear 95°, vs 27 back in Boise.

On par with Boise for events and shows.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

21% lower than Boise

vs 82/100 in Boise

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

·walk score®

93/100

3% lower than Boise

vs 96/100 in Boise

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

19% fewer than Boise

vs 16 nonstops in Boise

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as el paso:

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