$100k salary, packing up from Chicago

change
Denver, CO cityscape

instead of chicago

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

$353

below Chicago's monthly cost

The gap is real. Denver costs noticeably less than Chicago, every month.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

14% cheaper than Chicago(vs $2,170/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$46/mo less in state tax than Chicago

vs 4.95% in Chicago

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$353 more than Chicago

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

04a house here

$599k

64% more expensive than Chicago

vs $365k in Chicago

05metro size

3.0M

vs 9.3M in Chicago

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Chicago only logs 153 pleasant days. Cold is the cost: 66 days drop below 20° vs Chicago's 38.

Chicago hosts 2.9× more events.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

21% higher than Chicago

vs 70/100 in Chicago

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

·walk score®

97/100

3% lower than Chicago

vs 100/100 in Chicago

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

22% fewer than Chicago

vs 217 nonstops in Chicago

04 · see also

same energy as denver, different zip code:

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