same $100k income, fresh start from Kansas City

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Hickory, NC cityscape

if you left kansas city

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

$84

under Kansas City, every month

Hickory and Kansas City land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

5% cheaper than Kansas City(vs $1,502/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$17/mo less in state tax than Kansas City

vs 4.7% in Kansas City

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$84 more than Kansas City

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

04a house here

$268k

18% cheaper than Kansas City

vs $326k in Kansas City

05metro size

370k

vs 2.2M in Kansas City

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Kansas City barely cracks 170 pleasant ones.

Lighter on events: Kansas City packs 4.4× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

14% higher than Kansas City

vs 56/100 in Kansas City

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

·walk score®

70/100

26% lower than Kansas City

vs 94/100 in Kansas City

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Kansas City

vs 43 nonstops in Kansas City

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