on $100k a year, leaving Charleston

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El Paso, TX cityscape

from charleston

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

$1,055

below Charleston's monthly cost

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

26% cheaper than Charleston(vs $1,987/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$542/mo less in state tax than Charleston

vs 6.5% in Charleston

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$1,055 more than Charleston

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

04a house here

$231k

46% cheaper than Charleston

vs $432k in Charleston

05metro size

872k

vs 849k in Charleston

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Charleston keeps to 212 pleasant days a year. Bring the AC. 60 days a year clear 95°, well past Charleston's 10.

About as much going on as in Charleston.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

3% lower than Charleston

vs 67/100 in Charleston

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

·walk score®

93/100

1% higher than Charleston

vs 92/100 in Charleston

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

35% fewer than Charleston

vs 20 nonstops in Charleston

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