on $100k a year, leaving Omaha

change
El Paso, TX cityscape

swapping out of omaha

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

$425

lighter monthly cost than Omaha

El Paso gives you room Omaha doesn't. Same gross salary, lower monthly cost of living.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

4% more expensive than Omaha(vs $1,412/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$487/mo less in state tax than Omaha

vs 5.84% in Omaha

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$425 more than Omaha

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

04a house here

$231k

24% cheaper than Omaha

vs $306k in Omaha

05metro size

872k

vs 985k in Omaha

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Omaha only manages 145 of those. The trade is summer: 60 days above 95°, vs 11 in Omaha.

But the calendar thins out: Omaha stays 2.1× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

23% higher than Omaha

vs 53/100 in Omaha

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

·walk score®

93/100

7% higher than Omaha

vs 87/100 in Omaha

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

32% fewer than Omaha

vs 19 nonstops in Omaha

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