on $100k a year, leaving Rochester

change
Denver, CO cityscape

swapping out of rochester

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

in our guides

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01 · the verdict

the verdict

$208

pricier each month than Rochester

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

21% more expensive than Rochester(vs $1,534/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$121/mo less in state tax than Rochester

vs 5.85% in Rochester

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$208 less than Rochester

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

04a house here

$599k

119% more expensive than Rochester

vs $273k in Rochester

05metro size

3.0M

vs 1.1M in Rochester

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Rochester only manages 147 of those. Winter shows up, though: 66 days below 20° vs Rochester's 48.

A real upgrade on things to do: 15.1× Rochester's pace.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

47% higher than Rochester

vs 58/100 in Rochester

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

·walk score®

97/100

41% higher than Rochester

vs 69/100 in Rochester

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

839% more than Rochester

vs 18 nonstops in Rochester

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