on $100k a year, leaving Columbia

change
El Paso, TX cityscape

swapping out of columbia

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

$619

under Columbia, every month

El Paso gives you room Columbia doesn't. Same gross salary, lower monthly cost of living.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

5% cheaper than Columbia(vs $1,551/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$542/mo less in state tax than Columbia

vs 6.5% in Columbia

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$619 more than Columbia

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

04a house here

$231k

9% cheaper than Columbia

vs $255k in Columbia

05metro size

872k

vs 857k in Columbia

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Columbia only logs 189 pleasant days. Hot stretches show up, though: 60 days above 95° here, 27 in Columbia.

58% more happening than in Columbia.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

18% higher than Columbia

vs 55/100 in Columbia

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

·walk score®

93/100

9% higher than Columbia

vs 85/100 in Columbia

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

30% more than Columbia

vs 10 nonstops in Columbia

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