$100k salary, packing up from Springfield

change
Denver, CO cityscape

instead of springfield

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

$100

below Springfield's monthly cost

Denver and Springfield land close on cost. The reasons to move are about how you'd live, not what you'd save.
landable, recorded on the denver entry

02 · the money

a quick ledger.

01rent

$1,863/mo

3% cheaper than Springfield(vs $1,913/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$50/mo less in state tax than Springfield

vs 5% in Springfield

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$100 more than Springfield

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

04a house here

$599k

61% more expensive than Springfield

vs $373k in Springfield

05metro size

3.0M

vs 460k in Springfield

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

Springfield barely cracks 147 pleasant ones. Winter has bite, though: 66 days drop below 20° vs Springfield's 47.

A month here packs 75.7× the events of Springfield.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

29% higher than Springfield

vs 66/100 in Springfield

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

·walk score®

97/100

11% higher than Springfield

vs 87/100 in Springfield

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

550% more than Springfield

vs 26 nonstops in Springfield

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