same $100k income, fresh start from Honolulu

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El Paso, TX cityscape

instead of honolulu

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

$2,286

lighter monthly cost than Honolulu

In El Paso, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

48% cheaper than Honolulu(vs $2,843/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$917/mo less in state tax than Honolulu

vs 11% in Honolulu

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$2,286 more than Honolulu

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

04a house here

$231k

78% cheaper than Honolulu

vs $1061k in Honolulu

05metro size

872k

vs 989k in Honolulu

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Honolulu actually gets more: 316 pleasant days a year. The trade is summer: 60 days above 95°, vs 0 in Honolulu.

But the calendar thins out: Honolulu stays 3.2× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

18% higher than Honolulu

vs 55/100 in Honolulu

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

·walk score®

93/100

6% lower than Honolulu

vs 99/100 in Honolulu

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

75% fewer than Honolulu

vs 51 nonstops in Honolulu

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