$100k salary, packing up from San Diego
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
under San Diego, every month
Albuquerque runs on a fraction of San Diego's budget. Same paycheck, real lifestyle upgrade.
a quick ledger.
$1,489/mo
48% cheaper than San Diego(vs $2,890/mo)
5.9%
$283/mo less in state tax than San Diego
vs 9.3% in San Diego
$6,353/mo
$1,685 more than San Diego
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$351k
65% cheaper than San Diego
vs $1010k in San Diego
924k
vs 3.3M in San Diego
field notes, weather & such.
205
pleasant days a year, in albuquerque.
San Diego actually gets more: 332 pleasant days a year. Summer is real but not punishing: 34 days top 95° vs San Diego's 0.
San Diego hosts 4.1× more events.
81/100
8% higher than San Diego
vs 75/100 in San Diego
Closest outdoor draw: Sandia Mountain Wilderness, 13.4 mi.
94/100
5% lower than San Diego
vs 99/100 in San Diego
23
58% fewer than San Diego
vs 55 nonstops in San Diego
in the same ballpark as albuquerque:
compare albuquerque with:
