on $100k a year, leaving Melbourne

change
Hickory, NC cityscape

instead of melbourne

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

$86

below Melbourne's monthly cost

A near-tie on cost. What separates Hickory is the life around the numbers.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

24% cheaper than Melbourne(vs $1,895/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$375/mo more in state tax than Melbourne

vs 0% in Melbourne

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$86 more than Melbourne

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

04a house here

$268k

24% cheaper than Melbourne

vs $351k in Melbourne

05metro size

370k

vs 644k in Melbourne

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Melbourne gets 254 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine.

·outdoorscore

64/100

16% higher than Melbourne

vs 55/100 in Melbourne

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

·walk score®

70/100

17% lower than Melbourne

vs 84/100 in Melbourne

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Melbourne

vs 2 nonstops in Melbourne

04 · see also

neighbors of hickory on the map of tradeoffs:

compare hickory with: