on $100k a year, leaving Lafayette

change
Hickory, NC cityscape

if you left lafayette

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

$227

more each month than Lafayette 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

8% more expensive than Lafayette(vs $1,332/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$125/mo more in state tax than Lafayette

vs 3% in Lafayette

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$227 less than Lafayette

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

04a house here

$268k

34% more expensive than Lafayette

vs $200k in Lafayette

05metro size

370k

vs 414k in Lafayette

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Lafayette has the edge here, logging 211 pleasant days a year.

280% more happening than in Lafayette.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

49% higher than Lafayette

vs 43/100 in Lafayette

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

·walk score®

70/100

18% lower than Lafayette

vs 85/100 in Lafayette

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Lafayette

vs 3 nonstops in Lafayette

04 · see also

same energy as hickory, different zip code:

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