same $100k income, fresh start from Albuquerque

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Denver, CO cityscape

swapping out of albuquerque

Denver

co · metro 3.0M

photo: Noel Aph / pexels

a dispatch from

denver

CO

39.74°N

104.98°W

Denver is a mile above sea level, an hour from a dozen ski resorts, and surrounded by mountains that make every west-facing window feel like a vacation. The air is dry, the sun shows up roughly 300 days a year, and craft beer is taken seriously enough to have its own annual pilgrimage (the Great American Beer Festival). Green chile is a hill people will die on. The patio season is essentially eternal.

metro3.0M

in our guides

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$249

more expensive each month than Albuquerque

Denver costs more than Albuquerque, and you'll feel it. The upside has to come from somewhere other than your budget.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

25% more expensive than Albuquerque(vs $1,489/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$125/mo less in state tax than Albuquerque

vs 5.9% in Albuquerque

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$249 less than Albuquerque

gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.

04a house here

$599k

71% more expensive than Albuquerque

vs $351k in Albuquerque

05metro size

3.0M

vs 924k in Albuquerque

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Albuquerque gets 205 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter asks for something in return: 66 days under 20° here, 6 in Albuquerque.

A real upgrade on things to do: 10.8× Albuquerque's pace.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

5% higher than Albuquerque

vs 81/100 in Albuquerque

Closest outdoor draw: Rocky Mountain National Park, 47.3 mi.

·walk score®

97/100

3% higher than Albuquerque

vs 94/100 in Albuquerque

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

635% more than Albuquerque

vs 23 nonstops in Albuquerque

04 · see also

cities that play in denver's register:

see also

boulder

better weather

turn the page

see also

las vegas

$498/mo cheaper

turn the page

see also

washington

better weather

turn the page

compare denver with:

BoulderLas VegasWashington