on $100k a year, leaving Boston

change
Hickory, NC cityscape

if you left boston

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.

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$1,752

under Boston, every month

In Hickory, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

54% cheaper than Boston(vs $3,145/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$42/mo less in state tax than Boston

vs 5% in Boston

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$1,752 more than Boston

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

04a house here

$268k

65% cheaper than Boston

vs $771k in Boston

05metro size

370k

vs 4.9M in Boston

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Boston barely cracks 160 pleasant ones.

But the calendar thins out: Boston stays 8.8× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

10% lower than Boston

vs 71/100 in Boston

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

·walk score®

70/100

29% lower than Boston

vs 98/100 in Boston

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Boston

vs 103 nonstops in Boston

04 · see also

neighbors of hickory on the map of tradeoffs:

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