$100k salary, packing up from New York

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Denver, CO cityscape

if you left new york

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

$1,994

below New York's monthly cost

In Denver, rent stops being the headline. The cost gap shows up every month without you trying.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

44% cheaper than New York(vs $3,329/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$528/mo less in state tax than New York

vs 10.73% in New York

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$1,994 more than New York

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

04a house here

$599k

19% cheaper than New York

vs $739k in New York

05metro size

3.0M

vs 19.5M in New York

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

New York barely cracks 171 pleasant ones. Winter asks for something in return: 66 days under 20° here, 19 in New York.

Noticeably quieter than New York. About 88% fewer events on a typical month.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

9% higher than New York

vs 78/100 in New York

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

·walk score®

97/100

3% lower than New York

vs 100/100 in New York

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

21% fewer than New York

vs 215 nonstops in New York

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