$100k salary, packing up from Santa Maria
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
under Santa Maria, every month
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
41% cheaper than Santa Maria(vs $3,352/mo)
4.4%
$408/mo less in state tax than Santa Maria
vs 9.3% in Santa Maria
$5,996/mo
$1,790 more than Santa Maria
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$572k
46% cheaper than Santa Maria
vs $1059k in Santa Maria
371k
vs 441k in Santa Maria
field notes, weather & such.
177
pleasant days a year, in fort collins.
Santa Maria actually gets more: 337 pleasant days a year. The trade is winter: 44 days below 20°, vs 0 in Santa Maria.
69/100
17% higher than Santa Maria
vs 59/100 in Santa Maria
Closest outdoor draw: Rocky Mountain National Park, 31.3 mi.
86/100
1% lower than Santa Maria
vs 87/100 in Santa Maria
169
8350% more than Santa Maria
vs 2 nonstops in Santa Maria
neighbors of fort collins on the map of tradeoffs:
