$100k a year, no longer in Detroit

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Denver, CO cityscape

if you left detroit

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

$403

the monthly cost of moving past Detroit

Denver costs more than Detroit, 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

27% more expensive than Detroit(vs $1,472/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$12/mo more in state tax than Detroit

vs 4.25% in Detroit

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$403 less than Detroit

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

04a house here

$599k

129% more expensive than Detroit

vs $262k in Detroit

05metro size

3.0M

vs 4.3M in Detroit

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Detroit only logs 160 pleasant days. Winter asks for something in return: 66 days under 20° here, 37 in Detroit.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 5.0× more on the calendar than Detroit.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

81% higher than Detroit

vs 47/100 in Detroit

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

·walk score®

97/100

2% lower than Detroit

vs 99/100 in Detroit

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

25% more than Detroit

vs 135 nonstops in Detroit

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