on $100k a year, leaving Raleigh

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El Paso, TX cityscape

next stop after raleigh

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

$565

lighter monthly cost than Raleigh

El Paso gives you room Raleigh 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

11% cheaper than Raleigh(vs $1,663/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$375/mo less in state tax than Raleigh

vs 4.5% in Raleigh

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$565 more than Raleigh

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

04a house here

$231k

47% cheaper than Raleigh

vs $440k in Raleigh

05metro size

872k

vs 1.5M in Raleigh

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Raleigh only manages 201 of those. The trade is summer: 60 days above 95°, vs 5 in Raleigh.

Lighter on events: Raleigh packs 1.6× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

12% higher than Raleigh

vs 58/100 in Raleigh

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

·walk score®

93/100

4% lower than Raleigh

vs 97/100 in Raleigh

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

67% fewer than Raleigh

vs 39 nonstops in Raleigh

04 · see also

cities that play in el paso's register:

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