same $100k income, fresh start from San Diego
changea dispatch from
fort collins
CO
40.59°N
105.08°W
Fort Collins is the home of New Belgium Brewing (Fat Tire's origin) and a thriving craft beer scene with more breweries than Boulder. Old Town's brick streets and historic storefronts are charming enough that they're said to have influenced Disney's Main Street USA designers. CSU keeps the energy young. The foothills rise right outside town, and Rocky Mountain National Park is an hour away. Quieter than Boulder, less expensive.
the verdict
cheaper each month than San Diego
Fort Collins is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
a quick ledger.
$1,971/mo
32% cheaper than San Diego(vs $2,890/mo)
4.4%
$408/mo less in state tax than San Diego
vs 9.3% in San Diego
$5,996/mo
$1,328 more than San Diego
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$572k
43% cheaper than San Diego
vs $1010k in San Diego
371k
vs 3.3M in San Diego
field notes, weather & such.
177
pleasant days a year, in fort collins.
San Diego gets 332 pleasant days a year, so you'd be trading some sunshine. Winter asks for something in return: 44 days under 20° here, 0 in San Diego.
But the calendar thins out: San Diego stays 174.0× busier.
69/100
8% lower than San Diego
vs 75/100 in San Diego
Closest outdoor draw: Rocky Mountain National Park, 31.3 mi.
86/100
13% lower than San Diego
vs 99/100 in San Diego
169
207% more than San Diego
vs 55 nonstops in San Diego
neighbors of fort collins on the map of tradeoffs:
