same $100k income, fresh start from San Francisco
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
cheaper each month than San Francisco
Albuquerque is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
a quick ledger.
$1,489/mo
53% cheaper than San Francisco(vs $3,146/mo)
5.9%
$283/mo less in state tax than San Francisco
vs 9.3% in San Francisco
$6,353/mo
$1,941 more than San Francisco
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$351k
72% cheaper than San Francisco
vs $1239k in San Francisco
924k
vs 4.6M in San Francisco
field notes, weather & such.
205
pleasant days a year, in albuquerque.
San Francisco actually gets more: 312 pleasant days a year. Summer is real but not punishing: 34 days top 95° vs San Francisco's 0.
Noticeably quieter than San Francisco. About 84% fewer events on a typical month.
81/100
2% lower than San Francisco
vs 83/100 in San Francisco
Closest outdoor draw: Sandia Mountain Wilderness, 13.4 mi.
94/100
5% lower than San Francisco
vs 99/100 in San Francisco
23
79% fewer than San Francisco
vs 111 nonstops in San Francisco
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