$100k a year, no longer in Detroit

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El Paso, TX cityscape

from detroit

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

$353

under Detroit, every month

El Paso is the easier version of your monthly budget. Lower rent, lighter monthly outlay.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

0% more expensive than Detroit(vs $1,472/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$354/mo less in state tax than Detroit

vs 4.25% in Detroit

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$353 more than Detroit

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

04a house here

$231k

12% cheaper than Detroit

vs $262k in Detroit

05metro size

872k

vs 4.3M in Detroit

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Detroit only manages 160 of those. Bring the AC. 60 days a year clear 95°, well past Detroit's 0.

But the calendar thins out: Detroit stays 3.0× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

38% higher than Detroit

vs 47/100 in Detroit

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

·walk score®

93/100

6% lower than Detroit

vs 99/100 in Detroit

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

90% fewer than Detroit

vs 135 nonstops in Detroit

04 · see also

neighbors of el paso on the map of tradeoffs:

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