same $100k income, fresh start from Salinas

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Denver, CO cityscape

from salinas

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

$1,359

cheaper each month than Salinas

Denver sits well below Salinas on cost. Same paycheck, a noticeably lighter month.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

34% cheaper than Salinas(vs $2,813/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$408/mo less in state tax than Salinas

vs 9.3% in Salinas

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$1,359 more than Salinas

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

04a house here

$599k

30% cheaper than Salinas

vs $862k in Salinas

05metro size

3.0M

vs 431k in Salinas

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Salinas gets 335 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter asks for something in return: 66 days under 20° here, 0 in Salinas.

·outdoorscore

85/100

20% higher than Salinas

vs 71/100 in Salinas

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

·walk score®

97/100

23% higher than Salinas

vs 79/100 in Salinas

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

2717% more than Salinas

vs 6 nonstops in Salinas

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