on $100k a year, leaving Riverside

change
Hickory, NC cityscape

next stop after riverside

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

in our guides

#9

of 10

Best cities to leave San Francisco for

read the guide
#10

of 10

Best cities to leave Los Angeles for

read the guide
#4

of 10

Affordable alternatives to Austin

read the guide
#9

of 10

Affordable alternatives to Denver

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best small cities to live in

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best cities to leave Phoenix for

read the guide
#6

of 10

Best cities to leave Denver for

read the guide
#4

of 10

Best cities to leave Austin for

read the guide
#9

of 10

Best cities to live in the Southeast

read the guide
#5

of 10

Best cities in the Carolinas

read the guide
#2

of 10

Best cities to leave Minneapolis for

read the guide
#8

of 10

Best cities for a $60k salary

read the guide
#4

of 10

Affordable alternatives to Boise

read the guide

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$1,459

lighter monthly cost than Riverside

Hickory sits well below Riverside on cost. Same paycheck, a noticeably lighter month.
landable, recorded on the hickory entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,434/mo

42% cheaper than Riverside(vs $2,493/mo)

02state income tax

4.5%

$400/mo less in state tax than Riverside

vs 9.3% in Riverside

03after rent

$6,524/mo

$1,459 more than Riverside

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

04a house here

$268k

55% cheaper than Riverside

vs $595k in Riverside

05metro size

370k

vs 4.7M in Riverside

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

189

pleasant days a year, in hickory.

Riverside gets 249 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine.

3.2× the events of Riverside, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

64/100

7% lower than Riverside

vs 69/100 in Riverside

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

·walk score®

70/100

24% lower than Riverside

vs 92/100 in Riverside

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

0

100% fewer than Riverside

vs 14 nonstops in Riverside

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