$100k salary, packing up from Providence

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El Paso, TX cityscape

next stop after providence

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

$1,153

less monthly outlay than Providence

El Paso sits well below Providence on cost. Same paycheck, a noticeably lighter month.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

31% cheaper than Providence(vs $2,127/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$499/mo less in state tax than Providence

vs 5.99% in Providence

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$1,153 more than Providence

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

04a house here

$231k

56% cheaper than Providence

vs $528k in Providence

05metro size

872k

vs 1.7M in Providence

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Providence barely cracks 159 pleasant ones. Heat is the cost: 60 days top 95° vs Providence's 1.

1.4× the events of Providence, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

3% higher than Providence

vs 63/100 in Providence

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

·walk score®

93/100

3% lower than Providence

vs 96/100 in Providence

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

24% fewer than Providence

vs 17 nonstops in Providence

04 · see also

if el paso appeals, also worth a look:

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