$100k salary, packing up from Melbourne

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Denver, CO cityscape

from melbourne

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

$334

the monthly premium over Melbourne

Denver runs a little pricier than Melbourne. The case has to be about something other than rent.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

2% cheaper than Melbourne(vs $1,895/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$367/mo more in state tax than Melbourne

vs 0% in Melbourne

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$334 less than Melbourne

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

04a house here

$599k

71% more expensive than Melbourne

vs $351k in Melbourne

05metro size

3.0M

vs 644k in Melbourne

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Melbourne edges ahead with 254 pleasant days. Cold is the cost: 66 days drop below 20° vs Melbourne's 0.

·outdoorscore

85/100

55% higher than Melbourne

vs 55/100 in Melbourne

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

·walk score®

97/100

15% higher than Melbourne

vs 84/100 in Melbourne

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

8350% more than Melbourne

vs 2 nonstops in Melbourne

04 · see also

in the same ballpark as denver:

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