Algebra 1 word problem

Question

A theater group made appearances in two cities. The hotel charge before tax in the second city was $1000

 lower than in the first. The tax in the first city was 10%

, and the tax in the second city was 9.5%

. The total hotel tax paid for the two cities was $782.50

. How much was the hotel charge in each city before tax?

Answer 1

0.1a + 0.095(a - 1000) = 782.5

0.1a + 0.095a - 95 = 782.5

0.195a = 877.5

a = 4500 tickets

4500 - 1000 = 3500 tickets