same $100k income, fresh start from Grand Rapids

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El Paso, TX cityscape

instead of grand rapids

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.

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$501

lighter monthly cost than Grand Rapids

Not a fortune, but real money. El Paso runs cheaper than Grand Rapids month over month.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

9% cheaper than Grand Rapids(vs $1,620/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$354/mo less in state tax than Grand Rapids

vs 4.25% in Grand Rapids

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$501 more than Grand Rapids

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

04a house here

$231k

34% cheaper than Grand Rapids

vs $353k in Grand Rapids

05metro size

872k

vs 1.2M in Grand Rapids

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Grand Rapids only logs 151 pleasant days. Heat is the cost: 60 days top 95° vs Grand Rapids's 0.

But the calendar thins out: Grand Rapids stays 2.3× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

16% higher than Grand Rapids

vs 56/100 in Grand Rapids

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

·walk score®

93/100

4% lower than Grand Rapids

vs 97/100 in Grand Rapids

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

35% fewer than Grand Rapids

vs 20 nonstops in Grand Rapids

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