on $100k a year, leaving Austin

change
Denver, CO cityscape

swapping out of austin

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

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$646

more each month than Austin ran you

You'd pay for Denver. The question is whether the days are worth the difference.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

18% more expensive than Austin(vs $1,583/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$367/mo more in state tax than Austin

vs 0% in Austin

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$646 less than Austin

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

04a house here

$599k

38% more expensive than Austin

vs $433k in Austin

05metro size

3.0M

vs 2.5M in Austin

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Austin keeps to 170 pleasant days a year. Bring a real coat. 66 days stay under 20°, well past Austin's 1.

278% more happening than in Austin.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

52% higher than Austin

vs 56/100 in Austin

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

·walk score®

97/100

2% lower than Austin

vs 99/100 in Austin

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

302% more than Austin

vs 42 nonstops in Austin

04 · see also

neighbors of denver on the map of tradeoffs:

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