$100k salary, packing up from Columbus

change
Denver, CO cityscape

swapping out of columbus

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

$508

more each month than Columbus ran you

Denver costs meaningfully more. Whether it earns that back in the day-to-day is the actual question.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

47% more expensive than Columbus(vs $1,264/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$91/mo less in state tax than Columbus

vs 5.49% in Columbus

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$508 less than Columbus

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

04a house here

$599k

188% more expensive than Columbus

vs $208k in Columbus

05metro size

3.0M

vs 329k in Columbus

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Columbus has the edge here, logging 177 pleasant days a year. Bring a real coat. 66 days stay under 20°, well past Columbus's 2.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 19.7× more on the calendar than Columbus.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

81% higher than Columbus

vs 47/100 in Columbus

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

·walk score®

97/100

24% higher than Columbus

vs 78/100 in Columbus

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

16800% more than Columbus

vs 1 nonstops in Columbus

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