same $100k income, fresh start from Boulder

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El Paso, TX cityscape

from boulder

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

$1,109

cheaper each month than Boulder

Move to El Paso and the monthly math gets easier. Boulder'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

34% cheaper than Boulder(vs $2,216/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$367/mo less in state tax than Boulder

vs 4.4% in Boulder

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$1,109 more than Boulder

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

04a house here

$231k

70% cheaper than Boulder

vs $783k in Boulder

05metro size

872k

vs 327k in Boulder

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Boulder only manages 178 of those. The trade is summer: 60 days above 95°, vs 13 in Boulder.

400% more happening than in Boulder.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

18% lower than Boulder

vs 79/100 in Boulder

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

·walk score®

93/100

11% higher than Boulder

vs 84/100 in Boulder

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

92% fewer than Boulder

vs 169 nonstops in Boulder

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