$100k salary, packing up from Des Moines

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Denver, CO cityscape

swapping out of des moines

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

$461

the monthly cost of moving past Des Moines

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

47% more expensive than Des Moines(vs $1,268/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$133/mo less in state tax than Des Moines

vs 6% in Des Moines

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$461 less than Des Moines

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

04a house here

$599k

100% more expensive than Des Moines

vs $300k in Des Moines

05metro size

3.0M

vs 737k in Des Moines

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Des Moines only manages 151 of those.

887% more happening than in Des Moines.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

55% higher than Des Moines

vs 55/100 in Des Moines

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

·walk score®

97/100

24% higher than Des Moines

vs 78/100 in Des Moines

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

894% more than Des Moines

vs 17 nonstops in Des Moines

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as denver:

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