$100k salary, packing up from Lakeland

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El Paso, TX cityscape

from lakeland

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

$361

less monthly outlay than Lakeland

The gap is real. El Paso costs noticeably less than Lakeland, every month.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

20% cheaper than Lakeland(vs $1,834/mo)

02state income tax

0%

vs 0% in Lakeland

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$361 more than Lakeland

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

04a house here

$231k

23% cheaper than Lakeland

vs $301k in Lakeland

05metro size

872k

vs 818k in Lakeland

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Lakeland barely cracks 206 pleasant ones. Summer asks for something in return: 60 days top 95° here, 13 in Lakeland.

A month here packs 2.5× the events of Lakeland.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

35% higher than Lakeland

vs 48/100 in Lakeland

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

·walk score®

93/100

41% higher than Lakeland

vs 66/100 in Lakeland

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

81% fewer than Lakeland

vs 68 nonstops in Lakeland

04 · see also

cities that play in el paso's register:

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