$100k a year, no longer in Hickory

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El Paso, TX cityscape

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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

$336

under Hickory, 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

3% more expensive than Hickory(vs $1,434/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$375/mo less in state tax than Hickory

vs 4.5% in Hickory

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$336 more than Hickory

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

04a house here

$231k

14% cheaper than Hickory

vs $268k in Hickory

05metro size

872k

vs 370k in Hickory

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Hickory barely cracks 189 pleasant ones. Summer asks for something in return: 60 days top 95° here, 11 in Hickory.

A month here packs 1.6× the events of Hickory.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

2% higher than Hickory

vs 64/100 in Hickory

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

·walk score®

93/100

33% higher than Hickory

vs 70/100 in Hickory

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

0% fewer than Hickory

vs 0 nonstops in Hickory

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