$100k a year, no longer in St. Louis

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El Paso, TX cityscape

next stop after st. louis

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

$329

less monthly outlay than St. Louis

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

4% more expensive than St. Louis(vs $1,411/mo)

02state income tax

0%

$392/mo less in state tax than St. Louis

vs 4.7% in St. Louis

03after rent

$6,860/mo

$329 more than St. Louis

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

04a house here

$231k

16% cheaper than St. Louis

vs $277k in St. Louis

05metro size

872k

vs 2.8M in St. Louis

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

222

pleasant days a year, in el paso.

St. Louis barely cracks 174 pleasant ones. Summer asks for something in return: 60 days top 95° here, 5 in St. Louis.

Lighter on events: St. Louis packs 2.7× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

65/100

4% lower than St. Louis

vs 68/100 in St. Louis

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

·walk score®

93/100

7% higher than St. Louis

vs 87/100 in St. Louis

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

13

78% fewer than St. Louis

vs 60 nonstops in St. Louis

04 · see also

neighbors of el paso on the map of tradeoffs:

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