$100k salary, packing up from Las Vegas
changea dispatch from
albuquerque
NM
35.08°N
106.65°W
Albuquerque is green chile on everything, the Sandia Mountains turning pink at sunset (the name literally means watermelon), and the Balloon Fiesta in October when 500+ hot air balloons fill the sky. The old town adobes feel like the 1700s, the food fuses Native, Mexican, and Spanish in ways you won't get anywhere else. Breaking Bad fans will recognize half the city, and locals are good-natured about it.
in our guides
the verdict
the monthly premium over Las Vegas
You'd pay for Albuquerque. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
a quick ledger.
$1,489/mo
14% cheaper than Las Vegas(vs $1,731/mo)
5.9%
$492/mo more in state tax than Las Vegas
vs 0% in Las Vegas
$6,353/mo
$249 less than Las Vegas
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$351k
22% cheaper than Las Vegas
vs $451k in Las Vegas
924k
vs 2.3M in Las Vegas
field notes, weather & such.
205
pleasant days a year, in albuquerque.
Las Vegas has the edge here, logging 210 pleasant days a year.
But the calendar thins out: Las Vegas stays 83.5× busier.
81/100
1% higher than Las Vegas
vs 80/100 in Las Vegas
Closest outdoor draw: Sandia Mountain Wilderness, 13.4 mi.
94/100
15% higher than Las Vegas
vs 82/100 in Las Vegas
23
83% fewer than Las Vegas
vs 133 nonstops in Las Vegas
in the same ballpark as albuquerque:
compare albuquerque with:
