same $100k income, fresh start from Dallas

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El Paso, TX cityscape

if you left dallas

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

$174

under Dallas, every month

Money-wise it's a wash. The case for El Paso is everything that isn't rent.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

11% cheaper than Dallas(vs $1,647/mo)

02state income tax

0%

vs 0% in Dallas

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$174 more than Dallas

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

04a house here

$231k

37% cheaper than Dallas

vs $367k in Dallas

05metro size

872k

vs 8.1M in Dallas

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Dallas only manages 171 of those. Warm, not extreme: 60 days clear 95°, vs 40 back in Dallas.

Noticeably quieter than Dallas. About 93% fewer events on a typical month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

14% higher than Dallas

vs 57/100 in Dallas

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

·walk score®

93/100

0% lower than Dallas

vs 93/100 in Dallas

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

93% fewer than Dallas

vs 190 nonstops in Dallas

04 · see also

same energy as el paso, different zip code:

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