$100k salary, packing up from Montgomery

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Denver, CO cityscape

swapping out of montgomery

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

$437

the monthly premium over Montgomery

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

35% more expensive than Montgomery(vs $1,376/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$50/mo less in state tax than Montgomery

vs 5% in Montgomery

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$437 less than Montgomery

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

04a house here

$599k

183% more expensive than Montgomery

vs $212k in Montgomery

05metro size

3.0M

vs 385k in Montgomery

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Montgomery has the edge here, logging 181 pleasant days a year. The trade is winter: 66 days below 20°, vs 1 in Montgomery.

A month here packs 14.2× the events of Montgomery.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

93% higher than Montgomery

vs 44/100 in Montgomery

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

·walk score®

97/100

59% higher than Montgomery

vs 61/100 in Montgomery

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

5533% more than Montgomery

vs 3 nonstops in Montgomery

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