$100k salary, packing up from Reading

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Roanoke, VA cityscape

if you left reading

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

$128

the monthly premium over Reading

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

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,382/mo

6% cheaper than Reading(vs $1,478/mo)

02state income tax

5.75%

$223/mo more in state tax than Reading

vs 3.07% in Reading

03after rent

$6,472/mo

$128 less than Reading

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

04a house here

$296k

5% cheaper than Reading

vs $311k in Reading

05metro size

314k

vs 433k in Reading

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

179

pleasant days a year, in roanoke.

Reading barely cracks 157 pleasant ones.

59% fewer events than Reading. The pace eases up.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

69/100

6% higher than Reading

vs 65/100 in Reading

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

·walk score®

94/100

11% higher than Reading

vs 85/100 in Reading

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

9

0% fewer than Reading

vs 0 nonstops in Reading

04 · see also

same energy as roanoke, different zip code:

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