same $100k income, fresh start from Lafayette

change
Denver, CO cityscape

if you left lafayette

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

$647

more expensive each month than Lafayette

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

40% more expensive than Lafayette(vs $1,332/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$117/mo more in state tax than Lafayette

vs 3% in Lafayette

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$647 less than Lafayette

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

04a house here

$599k

199% more expensive than Lafayette

vs $200k in Lafayette

05metro size

3.0M

vs 414k in Lafayette

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Lafayette has the edge here, logging 211 pleasant days a year. Bring a real coat. 66 days stay under 20°, well past Lafayette's 0.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 90.8× more on the calendar than Lafayette.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

98% higher than Lafayette

vs 43/100 in Lafayette

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

·walk score®

97/100

14% higher than Lafayette

vs 85/100 in Lafayette

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

5533% more than Lafayette

vs 3 nonstops in Lafayette

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