$100k a year, no longer in Myrtle Beach

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Roanoke, VA cityscape

if you left myrtle beach

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

$407

under Myrtle Beach, every month

Roanoke is the easier version of your monthly budget. Lower rent, lighter monthly outlay.
landable, recorded on the roanoke entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,382/mo

20% cheaper than Myrtle Beach(vs $1,727/mo)

02state income tax

5.75%

$62/mo less in state tax than Myrtle Beach

vs 6.5% in Myrtle Beach

03after rent

$6,472/mo

$407 more than Myrtle Beach

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

04a house here

$296k

18% cheaper than Myrtle Beach

vs $361k in Myrtle Beach

05metro size

314k

vs 397k in Myrtle Beach

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

179

pleasant days a year, in roanoke.

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

But the calendar thins out: Myrtle Beach stays 1.9× busier.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

69/100

19% higher than Myrtle Beach

vs 58/100 in Myrtle Beach

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

·walk score®

94/100

71% higher than Myrtle Beach

vs 55/100 in Myrtle Beach

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

9

61% fewer than Myrtle Beach

vs 23 nonstops in Myrtle Beach

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as roanoke:

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