$100k salary, packing up from Raleigh

change
Denver, CO cityscape

instead of raleigh

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

$191

the monthly premium over Raleigh

Almost a wash on cost. The case for Denver is about what you'd do there, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

12% more expensive than Raleigh(vs $1,663/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$8/mo less in state tax than Raleigh

vs 4.5% in Raleigh

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$191 less than Raleigh

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

04a house here

$599k

36% more expensive than Raleigh

vs $440k in Raleigh

05metro size

3.0M

vs 1.5M in Raleigh

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Raleigh edges ahead with 201 pleasant days. Cold is the cost: 66 days drop below 20° vs Raleigh's 3.

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

85/100

47% higher than Raleigh

vs 58/100 in Raleigh

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

·walk score®

97/100

0% lower than Raleigh

vs 97/100 in Raleigh

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

333% more than Raleigh

vs 39 nonstops in Raleigh

04 · see also

cities that play in denver's register:

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