$100k salary, packing up from Madison

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Hickory, NC cityscape

if you left madison

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

$386

below Madison's monthly cost

The gap is real. Hickory costs noticeably less than Madison, every month.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

14% cheaper than Madison(vs $1,673/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$148/mo less in state tax than Madison

vs 6.27% in Madison

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$386 more than Madison

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

04a house here

$268k

42% cheaper than Madison

vs $465k in Madison

05metro size

370k

vs 694k in Madison

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Madison barely cracks 147 pleasant ones.

Noticeably quieter than Madison. About 53% fewer events on a typical month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

4% lower than Madison

vs 67/100 in Madison

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

·walk score®

70/100

20% lower than Madison

vs 88/100 in Madison

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Madison

vs 11 nonstops in Madison

04 · see also

cities that play in hickory's register:

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