$100k a year, no longer in Phoenix

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Denver, CO cityscape

next stop after phoenix

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

$282

the monthly cost of moving past Phoenix

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

7% more expensive than Phoenix(vs $1,739/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$158/mo more in state tax than Phoenix

vs 2.5% in Phoenix

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$282 less than Phoenix

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

04a house here

$599k

31% more expensive than Phoenix

vs $458k in Phoenix

05metro size

3.0M

vs 5.1M in Phoenix

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Phoenix has the edge here, logging 181 pleasant days a year. The trade is winter: 66 days below 20°, vs 0 in Phoenix.

2.3× the events of Phoenix, and the calendar shows it.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

29% higher than Phoenix

vs 66/100 in Phoenix

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

·walk score®

97/100

0% lower than Phoenix

vs 97/100 in Phoenix

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

86% more than Phoenix

vs 91 nonstops in Phoenix

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