#12 of 66 for you
El Paso, TX
297 sunny days and the lowest rents in Texas, on the lowest wages.
Left over monthly
$2,561
Versus Chicago
+$181/mo
+$2,172 a year
Local pay for your job
$79,738
Local wages run -15% vs national
Where the money goes
One earner filing as a household, at 1 bedrooms.
- Taxes$1,271
- Rent$995
- Other living costs$1,817
- Left over$2,561
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $79,738
- Federal income tax
- −$9,156
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$6,100
- State income tax (TX)
- None
- Take-home pay
- $64,482
- Effective tax rate
- 19.1%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $995
- Groceries
- $356
- Getting around
- $527
- Healthcare
- $401
- Utilities and internet
- $223
- Everything else
- $312
- Total spending
- $2,812
Left over each month
$6,645 gross, minus $1,271 in tax and $2,812 in living costs.
$2,561
What living here is like
- Weather
- 297 sunny days, 95°F in July, 33°F January nights
- Getting around
- Plan on a car per adult
- Average commute
- 23 minutes each way
- Size
- 870k people
- Buying instead
- Median home $167,000 — roughly $1,290/mo with 20% down, tax and upkeep
- Taxes
- No state income tax. Sales tax 8.2%, property tax 2.10%.
How it scores against what you said matters
- Money left over
- 63
- Sun and mild weather
- 94
- Access to the outdoors
- 70
- City life and culture
- 46
- A short commute
- 75
Chicago vs El Paso, line by line
Same job, same household, both tax codes applied.
Open the comparison →Also worth a look
- Seattle, WA$3,406/mo
No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.
- Austin, TX$3,176/mo
No income tax, but property taxes are among the steepest anywhere.
- Houston, TX$3,159/mo
The cheapest housing of any top-10 metro, paid for in property tax and humidity.
- Dallas, TX$3,044/mo
No income tax, endless new construction, and a 1.5% property tax bill.