on $100k a year, leaving Lubbock

change
Denver, CO cityscape

swapping out of lubbock

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

01 · the verdict

the verdict

$845

the monthly premium over Lubbock

A real premium for Denver. Worth it only if the city itself is the whole point.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

35% more expensive than Lubbock(vs $1,384/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$367/mo more in state tax than Lubbock

vs 0% in Lubbock

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$845 less than Lubbock

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

04a house here

$599k

184% more expensive than Lubbock

vs $211k in Lubbock

05metro size

3.0M

vs 360k in Lubbock

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Lubbock actually gets more: 186 pleasant days a year. The trade is winter: 66 days below 20°, vs 7 in Lubbock.

Nights and weekends fill up faster. 56.8× more on the calendar than Lubbock.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

1600% higher than Lubbock

vs 5/100 in Lubbock

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

·walk score®

97/100

41% higher than Lubbock

vs 69/100 in Lubbock

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

2314% more than Lubbock

vs 7 nonstops in Lubbock

04 · see also

if denver appeals, also worth a look:

compare denver with: