$100k salary, packing up from New York

change
El Paso, TX cityscape

swapping out of new york

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

$2,750

less monthly outlay than New York

El Paso is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

56% cheaper than New York(vs $3,329/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$894/mo less in state tax than New York

vs 10.73% in New York

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$2,750 more than New York

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

04a house here

$231k

69% cheaper than New York

vs $739k in New York

05metro size

872k

vs 19.5M in New York

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

New York only manages 171 of those. Bring the AC. 60 days a year clear 95°, well past New York's 1.

99% fewer events than New York. The pace eases up.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

17% lower than New York

vs 78/100 in New York

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

·walk score®

93/100

7% lower than New York

vs 100/100 in New York

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

94% fewer than New York

vs 215 nonstops in New York

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as el paso:

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