with $100k coming in, swapping out of Kansas City

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Denver, CO cityscape

from kansas city

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

$336

the monthly premium over Kansas City

Denver costs more than Kansas City, 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

24% more expensive than Kansas City(vs $1,502/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$25/mo less in state tax than Kansas City

vs 4.7% in Kansas City

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$336 less than Kansas City

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

04a house here

$599k

84% more expensive than Kansas City

vs $326k in Kansas City

05metro size

3.0M

vs 2.2M in Kansas City

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Kansas City only logs 170 pleasant days. Winter asks for something in return: 66 days under 20° here, 26 in Kansas City.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 5.4× more on the calendar than Kansas City.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

52% higher than Kansas City

vs 56/100 in Kansas City

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

·walk score®

97/100

3% higher than Kansas City

vs 94/100 in Kansas City

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

293% more than Kansas City

vs 43 nonstops in Kansas City

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