$100k salary, packing up from Pittsburgh

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El Paso, TX cityscape

if you left pittsburgh

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

$255

less monthly outlay than Pittsburgh

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

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

0% more expensive than Pittsburgh(vs $1,473/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$256/mo less in state tax than Pittsburgh

vs 3.07% in Pittsburgh

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$255 more than Pittsburgh

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

04a house here

$231k

4% more expensive than Pittsburgh

vs $223k in Pittsburgh

05metro size

872k

vs 2.4M in Pittsburgh

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Pittsburgh only manages 161 of those. The trade is summer: 60 days above 95°, vs 0 in Pittsburgh.

Lighter on events: Pittsburgh packs 2.6× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

6% lower than Pittsburgh

vs 69/100 in Pittsburgh

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

·walk score®

93/100

6% lower than Pittsburgh

vs 99/100 in Pittsburgh

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

65% fewer than Pittsburgh

vs 37 nonstops in Pittsburgh

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