Moving from Connecticut to Colorado - Good idea? (Denver, Pueblo: real estate, apartments)

[Greg1022]

I have been on this forum reading through the posts about Colorado and I wanted to see if I can get some more insight to where I am coming from.

I am 24 and have lived in expensive CT all my life. My fiance and I have been talking about the idea of moving to a different part of the country to get away from the struggle of Connecticut. We both have great jobs (I am an Account Exec for a software company and she has a good job with the State of CT). Now we both went to very good and expensive colleges and that is where we struggle (because of the $800-$1000/mo loan bills). We pay over $1000/mo for a 1 bed apartment in a great area, but after looking at apartments in CO (Denver/CO Springs area) we see that we can get SO much more for the money.

Now CT is very expensive with taxes, gas prices, cost of living is out of this world and we feel that we are getting NOWHERE with everything going up so much; even the food prices have almost doubled since we have been out of school.

The big thing we are looking at is the price to live in CO. If we are making the same amount of money in CO as we are in CT, is it easier to live and to save? We are trying to save for a wedding and for a house the next year, but just cannot seem to get there with all the crazy bills.

So after all this rambling, I just wanted to see your thoughts on this idea. We have toyed with the idea of Seattle WA or Portland OR, but I see that CO has a lot to offer as well.

Also, this is going to sound strange, but I have a random question...
What is the frog population in CO? My fiance has a rare form of OCD where she is terrified (and by terrified I mean will not leave the house if she sees one outside - her grandmother suffers from the same thing) of Frogs and they are EVERYWHERE in CT. This is not a deciding factor on where we move, but I was just curious. Sorry if this is very strange, but I was just wanted to pass this along to her.

Thank you very much and sorry if this is another one of those "moving from X to Y" threads.

Greg

[CosmicWizard]

Since I am one of those people driven by a spirit of adventure myself, I'm usually one of the first to say, go for it and make your dreams come true. Given your situation ( student debt & good paying jobs ) and the current economic conditions, I'm more inclined to say stay put for now. KEEP you good paying jobs until the economic dust settles. By all means, come for a visit and scope things out. You might get lucky and find great jobs in Colorado...BUT, don't quit your day job until you have a solid job offer in hand.

[Josseppie]

A short answer is yes, this is a beautiful state and much is going on here. I don't think we have many frogs at all, I cant remember the last time I saw a frog.

Now you will get varying opinions on what part of the state is better, I like Pueblo, but that is personal choice.

[Greg1022]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Since I am one of those people driven by a spirit of adventure myself, I'm usually one of the first to say, go for it and make your dreams come true. Given your situation ( student debt & good paying jobs ) and the current economic conditions, I'm more inclined to say stay put for now. KEEP you good paying jobs until the economic dust settles. By all means, come for a visit and scope things out. You might get lucky and find great jobs in Colorado...BUT, don't quit your day job until you have a solid job offer in hand.

I appreciate the advice! Believe me, I would not quit my job before having another offer on the table, I would rather not live off of savings. Same goes with the significant other, she would not quit her job, no matter how much she hates it .

I have found some good jobs for me, exact same thing I doing now for same if not a bit more money, so I will send some resumes out and see what happens, but the big thing is getting her a job too. I have a lot more flexibility since her job experience is so narrow and mine so broad. But we will have to see.

The big thing is having it be "cheaper" in CO rather than in CT. I know CT is one of the most expensive states to live in and I want to make sure that taking the trip to CO would not be a waste of time if we are in the same place. I have taken trips out west to WY, ND, SD, etc, but never CO. So I am excited to see it. We will obviously take a vacation there first, but if we are going to make the move, it will have to be this year. Otherwise we will just continue being screwed by the great state of CT. Don't get me wrong, I love this state, but when you have a great job and STILL can't afford to live in a nice place, that is ridiculous. But again, we will see. I am just curious to see what people think of the CO lifestyle and COL (cost of living) and maybe if somebody has done the CT -> CO move.

[CosmicWizard]

Greg

I can't give you a CT - CO comparison, but I can give you an east coast - CO comparison by comparing my Virginia Beach costs with my Colorado costs.

* 2.5 years ago, I purchased a bigger house ( 1950 sf vs 1300 sf ) for $15K less in a much nicer neighborhood in Grand Junction, CO. My Colorado house is also 25 yrs newer than my home in Virginia Beach ( built in 1980 vs 1955 ).

* As an analyst/programmer, I took a $12K paycut on my annual salary.

* My wife as a teacher, took a paycut of a similiar magnitude

* My average heating / cooling costs are about $100 LESS per month in Colorado

* Gasoline is about $.25 a gallon cheaper here

* Just about everything else costs pretty much the same or MORE than it did in Virginia Beach

Please note that we did not base our decision to live in Colorado only on the financial aspect. Even though we've taken a hit on our salaries, our overall quality of life has improved dramatically and we have no regrets about making the move.

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by Greg1022

I have been on this forum reading through the posts about Colorado and I wanted to see if I can get some more insight to where I am coming from.

I am 24 and have lived in expensive CT all my life. My fiance and I have been talking about the idea of moving to a different part of the country to get away from the struggle of Connecticut. We both have great jobs (I am an Account Exec for a software company and she has a good job with the State of CT). Now we both went to very good and expensive colleges and that is where we struggle (because of the $800-$1000/mo loan bills). We pay over $1000/mo for a 1 bed apartment in a great area, but after looking at apartments in CO (Denver/CO Springs area) we see that we can get SO much more for the money.

Now CT is very expensive with taxes, gas prices, cost of living is out of this world and we feel that we are getting NOWHERE with everything going up so much; even the food prices have almost doubled since we have been out of school.

The big thing we are looking at is the price to live in CO. If we are making the same amount of money in CO as we are in CT, is it easier to live and to save? We are trying to save for a wedding and for a house the next year, but just cannot seem to get there with all the crazy bills.

So after all this rambling, I just wanted to see your thoughts on this idea. We have toyed with the idea of Seattle WA or Portland OR, but I see that CO has a lot to offer as well.

Also, this is going to sound strange, but I have a random question...
What is the frog population in CO? My fiance has a rare form of OCD where she is terrified (and by terrified I mean will not leave the house if she sees one outside - her grandmother suffers from the same thing) of Frogs and they are EVERYWHERE in CT. This is not a deciding factor on where we move, but I was just curious. Sorry if this is very strange, but I was just wanted to pass this along to her.

Thank you very much and sorry if this is another one of those "moving from X to Y" threads.

Greg

Pueblo is just the place for you. There is an unlimited water supply, plenty of jobs, and one heckuva cultural scene with a vibrant night life. To cap it all off, it's yet to be impacted by the economic downturn.

Look for Pueblo on all of the forthcoming "10 Best Places" lists coming out in 2009....

[Greg1022]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Greg

I can't give you a CT - CO comparison, but I can give you an east coast - CO comparison by comparing my Virginia Beach costs with my Colorado costs.

* 2.5 years ago, I purchased a bigger house ( 1950 sf vs 1300 sf ) for $15K less in a much nicer neighborhood in Grand Junction, CO. My Colorado house is also 25 yrs newer than my home in Virginia Beach ( built in 1980 vs 1955 ).

* As an analyst/programmer, I took a $12K paycut on my annual salary.

* My wife as a teacher, took a paycut of a similiar magnitude

* My average heating / cooling costs are about $100 LESS per month in Colorado

* Gasoline is about $.25 a gallon cheaper here

* Just about everything else costs pretty much the same or MORE than it did in Virginia Beach

Please note that we did not base our decision to live in Colorado only on the financial aspect. Even though we've taken a hit on our salaries, our overall quality of life has improved dramatically and we have no regrets about making the move.

This is a good comparison, thanks. We would not move if either of us took a pay cut, it would just not work. We have a great quality of life here in CT - West Hartford area and that is really not the issue. Unfortunately financial reasons are the big thing right now. Yeah, a change of scenery would be awesome, but not a huge deciding factor right now. I just see how much cheaper and nicer apartments are in CO and I was curious if this would be something worth while.

I know it is hard to find a job anywhere right now, but it is REAL hard to find one here in CT. Small state where a lot of people want to live makes things hard, so I am glad that I have what I have, but I don't know. I am very bored at my job and am in need of some adventure. I guess that is where a lot of this is coming from. But we will see, it has to be worth the hassle to relocate.

[Greg1022]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

Pueblo is just the place for you. There is an unlimited water supply, plenty of jobs, and one heckuva cultural scene with a vibrant night life. To cap it all off, it's yet to be impacted by the economic downturn.

Look for Pueblo on all of the forthcoming "10 Best Places" lists coming out in 2009....

For real? What a big difference between the two posts above.

It is great that there are a lot of jobs, but salary comparisons are a big factor of course. I don't nevessarily have to make MORE money because the same salary in a place where the COL is cheaper is LIKE making more money.

But I will definitely take a look at what Pueblo has to offer, thank you.

[wanneroo]

IMO ten years ago Colorado used to be more competitive in terms of cost of living and good wages. Now I'm not convinced and that is why I left CO in 2007 for back east. Just on what I know I don't think moving to Colorado is going to save you skads of money or allow you to bank much more in your pocket. If you move I'd do it for other reasons like you want to live in Colorado. And definitely I'd visit first and see if you'd like it.

[Katarina Witt]

wanneroo offers excellent advice. Come and visit, look at a lot of different real estate web sites, look for job prospects. I don't know where you're going to find a place for the two of you to live that is way cheaper than where you are now. A 1 BR apt generally runs around $600/mo and up. So if you're paying $1000/m now, a $4800 (or $2400 per person) pay cut would just even things out. Your loan repayments will be the same no matter where you are.