$100k salary, packing up from Austin

change
Hickory, NC cityscape

instead of austin

Hickory

nc · metro 370k

photo: Mark Stebnicki / pexels

a dispatch from

hickory

NC

35.73°N

81.34°W

Hickory is North Carolina's furniture capital, with the Hickory Furniture Mart and the surrounding factories shaping the local economy. The downtown has come back nicely with breweries and a walkable feel. The Blue Ridge foothills start just outside town. Lake Hickory is right there for boating. Cheaper than the bigger NC cities, with mountain access an hour away.

metro370k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$226

more each month than Austin ran you

Hickory costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

9% cheaper than Austin(vs $1,583/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$375/mo more in state tax than Austin

vs 0% in Austin

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$226 less than Austin

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

04a house here

$268k

38% cheaper than Austin

vs $433k in Austin

05metro size

370k

vs 2.5M in Austin

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Austin only manages 170 of those.

Noticeably quieter than Austin. About 84% fewer events on a typical month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

14% higher than Austin

vs 56/100 in Austin

Closest outdoor draw: South Mountains State Park, 21.5 mi.

·walk score®

70/100

29% lower than Austin

vs 99/100 in Austin

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Austin

vs 42 nonstops in Austin

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as hickory:

see also

spartanburg

more flight options

turn the page

see also

roanoke

better park access

turn the page

see also

lancaster

$37/mo cheaper

turn the page

compare hickory with:

SpartanburgRoanokeLancaster