$100k salary, packing up from Provo

change
Roanoke, VA cityscape

if you left provo

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

$269

less monthly outlay than Provo

The gap is real. Roanoke costs noticeably less than Provo, every month.
landable, recorded on the roanoke entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,382/mo

21% cheaper than Provo(vs $1,743/mo)

02state income tax

5.75%

$92/mo more in state tax than Provo

vs 4.65% in Provo

03after rent

$6,472/mo

$269 more than Provo

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

04a house here

$296k

47% cheaper than Provo

vs $559k in Provo

05metro size

314k

vs 733k in Provo

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

179

pleasant days a year, in roanoke.

Provo barely cracks 171 pleasant ones.

1100% more happening than in Provo.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

69/100

15% lower than Provo

vs 81/100 in Provo

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

·walk score®

94/100

6% higher than Provo

vs 89/100 in Provo

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

9

90% fewer than Provo

vs 91 nonstops in Provo

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

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compare roanoke with:

ChattanoogaEl PasoLexington