on $100k a year, leaving Chicago

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El Paso, TX cityscape

if you left chicago

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

lighter monthly cost than Chicago

In El Paso, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

32% cheaper than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$412/mo less in state tax than Chicago

vs 4.95% in Chicago

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$1,109 more than Chicago

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

04a house here

$231k

37% cheaper than Chicago

vs $365k in Chicago

05metro size

872k

vs 9.3M in Chicago

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Chicago keeps to 153 pleasant days a year. Bring the AC. 60 days a year clear 95°, well past Chicago's 1.

Lighter on events: Chicago packs 43.2× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

7% lower than Chicago

vs 70/100 in Chicago

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

·walk score®

93/100

7% lower than Chicago

vs 100/100 in Chicago

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

94% fewer than Chicago

vs 217 nonstops in Chicago

04 · see also

cities that play in el paso's register:

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