$100k salary, packing up from Riverside

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El Paso, TX cityscape

from riverside

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

$1,795

below Riverside's monthly cost

El Paso runs on a fraction of Riverside's budget. Same paycheck, real lifestyle upgrade.
landable, recorded on the el paso entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,473/mo

41% cheaper than Riverside(vs $2,493/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$775/mo less in state tax than Riverside

vs 9.3% in Riverside

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$1,795 more than Riverside

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

04a house here

$231k

61% cheaper than Riverside

vs $595k in Riverside

05metro size

872k

vs 4.7M in Riverside

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

Riverside actually gets more: 249 pleasant days a year.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 5.0× more on the calendar than Riverside.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

6% lower than Riverside

vs 69/100 in Riverside

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

·walk score®

93/100

1% higher than Riverside

vs 92/100 in Riverside

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

7% fewer than Riverside

vs 14 nonstops in Riverside

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