Relocating to Denver,Co in hopes to find a better life

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Mvmariam

we wanted to go north somewhere with snow and so far Denver and Colorado was the most affordable for us as anything more north is crazy expensive.

How did you come to this conclusion?

Virtually every city at a more northerly latitude than Macon that is not on a coast is cheaper than Denver.

We did the same crazy jump as you in 2007, from an isolated small town in California. We didn't have degrees though, and Denver was MUCH cheaper back then.

However, hitting the ground and finding $12-$13/hr won't be hard, as even fast food pays that here (and they can't keep people).

I'm not trying to discourage you, but the place you are describing as your intended destination doesn't really sound like Denver.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

You should not care about the cost of milk and eggs.
You should care about the cost of:
apartment rentals
car registration

Exactly. Emphasizing sticking to $200 per month on groceries while glossing over $1200 to $2000 for rent is weird. The rentals might also require depositing a substantial amount besides just first month of rent.

Vehicles are expensive to register in CO, even for old cars. Look up county websites to get an idea what it costs in your desired city.

[maciesmom]

The fact is Denver is very pricey and while you might be able to get by, why? You don't have any connections here that put you in the position of sacrificing QOL to live *here*. There are other Mountain West cities that offer much of what you seek at a lower price point. You might actually be able to enjoy some of the activities you say you want to rather than spending all your money on rent or having to have multiple jobs to make ends meet.

SLC, COS and Boise have all been mentioned. Worth a look.

[bluescreen73]

I love Denver, but I couldn't imagine trying to get ahead and plan for the future making somewhere near minimum wage. You could probably eke out a living, but the odds of you both being able to save up to potentially buy a house are slim-to-none.

I'd echo what others have said. Colorado Springs, Boise, SLC.

Colorado Springs is still cheaper than Denver, and it gives you access to the outdoor recreation you want.

Boise seems interesting, but it's the smallest of the bunch, and it's the most prone to really bad heat waves in the summer. Boise's experienced extended periods of triple digit heat (with days approaching 110) a handful of times in the last half-decade or so.

I put SLC last because I'm meh on the state of Utah. SLC may be somewhat liberal but the rest of the state is extremely hard-right. I prefer more balanced politics. That and SLC is a weird metro. It's 2.5 million, but it's a sprawly conglomeration of a bunch of small cities. SLC itself is only about 200k.

FWIW, I'm sure Utah's a fine place to go hiking, but they're more known for their red rock canyons than their mountain peaks. If you like alpine hiking, it's Colorado over Utah. No contest. Colorado is considerably more mountainous. We have 54 peaks over 14,000' and 600+ over 13,000'. Utah, on the other hand, has zero 14ers and roughly 20 13ers (all in one range - the Uintas). Most of Utah's mountains are 8,500-11,000'.

In terms of overall amenities it's Denver >>>>>>>>> SLC >>>>> CO Springs >>> Boise.

[Willy702]

People can always make it work and COL isn't everything. How else do so many people survive off $10-12/hour as it is? I know someone who works at one of those warehouses you hear advertising on the radio about starting salary of $16/hour. He's been there a few years and is up to around $24/hour. Not the easiest work he'll tell you, but he's perfectly happy doing it. On that he supports a stay at home wife and 3 kids. They don't live in the best neighborhood and many posters here probably wouldn't want to live near them, but people who live in less desirable areas will always tell you they don't think too much about it being undesirable until they go spend time visiting other people in nice areas.

So one could do that or live in a cheaper city and not get the amenities here. Denver certainly is not for everyone and some are understandably turned off by the crowding and size of the city, but for most living here it seems they wouldn't want it any other way. I've been to Boise multiple times, its not too far to some pretty areas but I can imagine if you are anything of a city person it would get bleak. SLC has its pluses but some big minuses too and for just a modest cost savings because pay isn't as good there. In any case, COL should just be one consideration, it shouldn't be the primary reason for choosing a place because as I said resourceful people figure out a way to make it work.

[pikabike]

Since nobody else asked, I will. You say if moving to CO turns out to be a mistake, you will charge $4000 on your credit card and move out.

Do you have any savings? You might draw down on them if the only income you have is your part-time transferred minimum-wage job, while your husband is jobhunting. With that scenario, you’d go from spending 90% of income on rent to something even worse, like 100%. Without savings on hand, you end up working inadequate jobs for the COL, plus being $4000 in debt.

Food budget of $200/month for two people sounds low, especially since you mentioned wanting to hit the pubs.

Don’t forget utility costs, auto insurance, health insurance, phone and Internet service, and variable costs like clothing and auto maintenance.

The math is pointing to high risk of digging yourselves into a hole, unless you do have savings to get past the getting-established phase.

[TCHP]

You should register with Flex Jobs, search out a work from home translator position paying good money, then decide to live wherever you have high speed internet connection near by the recreation you want.