same $100k income, fresh start from Grand Rapids

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Denver, CO cityscape

from grand rapids

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

$255

more each month than Grand Rapids 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

15% more expensive than Grand Rapids(vs $1,620/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$12/mo more in state tax than Grand Rapids

vs 4.25% in Grand Rapids

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$255 less than Grand Rapids

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

04a house here

$599k

70% more expensive than Grand Rapids

vs $353k in Grand Rapids

05metro size

3.0M

vs 1.2M in Grand Rapids

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Grand Rapids only manages 151 of those. Cold snaps are part of the year: 66 days below 20° here, 50 in Grand Rapids.

558% more happening than in Grand Rapids.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

52% higher than Grand Rapids

vs 56/100 in Grand Rapids

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

·walk score®

97/100

0% lower than Grand Rapids

vs 97/100 in Grand Rapids

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

745% more than Grand Rapids

vs 20 nonstops in Grand Rapids

04 · see also

if denver appeals, also worth a look:

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