$100k a year, no longer in Pittsburgh

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Hickory, NC cityscape

swapping out of pittsburgh

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

$81

the monthly cost of moving past Pittsburgh

Almost a wash on cost. The case for Hickory is about what you'd do there, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

3% cheaper than Pittsburgh(vs $1,473/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$119/mo more in state tax than Pittsburgh

vs 3.07% in Pittsburgh

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$81 less than Pittsburgh

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

04a house here

$268k

20% more expensive than Pittsburgh

vs $223k in Pittsburgh

05metro size

370k

vs 2.4M in Pittsburgh

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Pittsburgh barely cracks 161 pleasant ones.

But the calendar thins out: Pittsburgh stays 4.2× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

7% lower than Pittsburgh

vs 69/100 in Pittsburgh

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

·walk score®

70/100

29% lower than Pittsburgh

vs 99/100 in Pittsburgh

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Pittsburgh

vs 37 nonstops in Pittsburgh

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