with $100k coming in, swapping out of Houston

change
El Paso, TX cityscape

if you left houston

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

$137

lighter monthly cost than Houston

Cost barely budges between El Paso and Houston. Pick this one for the texture of the days, not the math.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

9% cheaper than Houston(vs $1,610/mo)

02state income tax

0%

vs 0% in Houston

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$137 more than Houston

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

04a house here

$231k

26% cheaper than Houston

vs $311k in Houston

05metro size

872k

vs 7.5M in Houston

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Houston only logs 171 pleasant days.

86% fewer events than Houston. The pace eases up.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

18% higher than Houston

vs 55/100 in Houston

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

·walk score®

93/100

21% higher than Houston

vs 77/100 in Houston

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

93% fewer than Houston

vs 176 nonstops in Houston

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