$100k a year, no longer in Chicago

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Hickory, NC cityscape

next stop after chicago

Hickory

nc · metro 370k

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

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$773

cheaper each month than Chicago

Hickory is the easier version of your monthly budget. Lower rent, lighter monthly outlay.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

34% cheaper than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$38/mo less in state tax than Chicago

vs 4.95% in Chicago

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$773 more than Chicago

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

04a house here

$268k

26% cheaper than Chicago

vs $365k in Chicago

05metro size

370k

vs 9.3M in Chicago

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Chicago barely cracks 153 pleasant ones.

Chicago hosts 68.2× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

9% lower than Chicago

vs 70/100 in Chicago

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

·walk score®

70/100

30% lower than Chicago

vs 100/100 in Chicago

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Chicago

vs 217 nonstops in Chicago

04 · see also

cities that play in hickory's register:

compare hickory with: