with $100k coming in, swapping out of Mobile

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Roanoke, VA cityscape

if you left mobile

Roanoke

va · metro 314k

photo: Joseph Fuller / pexels

a dispatch from

roanoke

VA

37.27°N

79.94°W

Roanoke is the Star City of the South, named for the enormous illuminated star on Mill Mountain that's been lighting up the valley since 1949. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs right past town. The downtown has come back beautifully with the Taubman Museum, breweries, and a thriving market. The surrounding mountains are gorgeous in every season. Smaller and more scenic than people expect.

metro314k

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$143

more expensive each month than Mobile

Barely costlier than Mobile. If Roanoke pulls you in, it's the life it offers, not the price tag.
landable, recorded on the roanoke entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,382/mo

6% more expensive than Mobile(vs $1,302/mo)

02state income tax

5.75%

$63/mo more in state tax than Mobile

vs 5% in Mobile

03after rent

$6,472/mo

$143 less than Mobile

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

04a house here

$296k

53% more expensive than Mobile

vs $194k in Mobile

05metro size

314k

vs 412k in Mobile

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

179

pleasant days a year, in roanoke.

Mobile gets 225 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine.

Mobile hosts 2.0× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

69/100

17% higher than Mobile

vs 59/100 in Mobile

Closest outdoor draw: Smith Mountain Lake State Park, 22.3 mi.

·walk score®

94/100

36% higher than Mobile

vs 69/100 in Mobile

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

9

80% more than Mobile

vs 5 nonstops in Mobile

04 · see also

neighbors of roanoke on the map of tradeoffs:

see also

chattanooga

$337/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

el paso

$388/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

lexington

more flight options

turn the page

compare roanoke with:

ChattanoogaEl PasoLexington