$100k a year, no longer in Richmond

change
El Paso, TX cityscape

instead of richmond

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

$697

less monthly outlay than Richmond

El Paso is the easier version of your monthly budget. Lower rent, lighter monthly outlay.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

13% cheaper than Richmond(vs $1,691/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$479/mo less in state tax than Richmond

vs 5.75% in Richmond

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$697 more than Richmond

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

04a house here

$231k

41% cheaper than Richmond

vs $394k in Richmond

05metro size

872k

vs 1.4M in Richmond

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Richmond only manages 172 of those. The trade is summer: 60 days above 95°, vs 18 in Richmond.

But the calendar thins out: Richmond stays 1.9× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

0% lower than Richmond

vs 65/100 in Richmond

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

·walk score®

93/100

35% higher than Richmond

vs 69/100 in Richmond

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

32% fewer than Richmond

vs 19 nonstops in Richmond

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