with $100k coming in, swapping out of Rochester

change
Roanoke, VA cityscape

if you left rochester

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

$160

cheaper each month than Rochester

Roanoke and Rochester land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the roanoke entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,382/mo

10% cheaper than Rochester(vs $1,534/mo)

02state income tax

5.75%

$8/mo less in state tax than Rochester

vs 5.85% in Rochester

03after rent

$6,472/mo

$160 more than Rochester

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

04a house here

$296k

8% more expensive than Rochester

vs $273k in Rochester

05metro size

314k

vs 1.1M in Rochester

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

179

pleasant days a year, in roanoke.

Rochester keeps to 147 pleasant days a year.

Lighter on events: Rochester packs 2.5× more into a month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

69/100

19% higher than Rochester

vs 58/100 in Rochester

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

·walk score®

94/100

36% higher than Rochester

vs 69/100 in Rochester

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

9

50% fewer than Rochester

vs 18 nonstops in Rochester

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