$100k salary, packing up from New Orleans

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El Paso, TX cityscape

from new orleans

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

$389

under New Orleans, every month

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

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

9% cheaper than New Orleans(vs $1,612/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$250/mo less in state tax than New Orleans

vs 3% in New Orleans

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$389 more than New Orleans

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

04a house here

$231k

11% cheaper than New Orleans

vs $259k in New Orleans

05metro size

872k

vs 962k in New Orleans

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

New Orleans gets 235 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Heat is the cost: 60 days top 95° vs New Orleans's 3.

New Orleans hosts 3.2× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

18% higher than New Orleans

vs 55/100 in New Orleans

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

·walk score®

93/100

5% lower than New Orleans

vs 98/100 in New Orleans

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

67% fewer than New Orleans

vs 39 nonstops in New Orleans

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