$100k salary, packing up from Boston

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El Paso, TX cityscape

next stop after boston

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

$2,088

below Boston's monthly cost

Move to El Paso and the monthly math gets easier. Boston's rent is the headline; El Paso's is a footnote.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

53% cheaper than Boston(vs $3,145/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$417/mo less in state tax than Boston

vs 5% in Boston

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$2,088 more than Boston

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

04a house here

$231k

70% cheaper than Boston

vs $771k in Boston

05metro size

872k

vs 4.9M in Boston

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Boston keeps to 160 pleasant days a year. The trade is summer: 60 days above 95°, vs 2 in Boston.

But the calendar thins out: Boston stays 5.6× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

8% lower than Boston

vs 71/100 in Boston

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

·walk score®

93/100

5% lower than Boston

vs 98/100 in Boston

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

87% fewer than Boston

vs 103 nonstops in Boston

04 · see also

if el paso appeals, also worth a look:

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