on $100k a year, leaving St. Louis

change
Denver, CO cityscape

next stop after st. louis

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

$427

more each month than St. Louis ran you

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

32% more expensive than St. Louis(vs $1,411/mo)

02state income tax

4.4%

$25/mo less in state tax than St. Louis

vs 4.7% in St. Louis

03after rent

$6,104/mo

$427 less than St. Louis

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

04a house here

$599k

117% more expensive than St. Louis

vs $277k in St. Louis

05metro size

3.0M

vs 2.8M in St. Louis

03 · the life

field notes, weather & such.

174

pleasant days a year, in denver.

St. Louis keeps to 174 pleasant days a year. The trade is winter: 66 days below 20°, vs 22 in St. Louis.

A month here packs 5.7× the events of St. Louis.
on a typical month
·outdoorscore

85/100

25% higher than St. Louis

vs 68/100 in St. Louis

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

·walk score®

97/100

11% higher than St. Louis

vs 87/100 in St. Louis

Walk Score® methodology

·nonstops

169

182% more than St. Louis

vs 60 nonstops in St. Louis

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