Grad School - Couple from SF (Denver, Westminster: rentals, homes, transfer to)

[shellers4420]

Hi everyone, what a great site.

My girlfriend and I are considering moving to the Boulder/Denver area from San Francisco. She got into to Denver Law and I got in at CU-Boulder for Atm Sci. We have other cities/schools we're considering -San Diego and Seattle. Obviously this a great decision to have but we'd appreciate any insights you have about anything really, but specifically I've been wondering about these topics.

1) Boulder vs. Denver: We are in our mid/late 20's. Avoid the binge drinking scene but in SF we enjoy dive bars/arts/good food. Sounds like Denver may have a slight edge here. Thoughts on other aspects like affordability? Walkability?

2) Commuting - Prefer public transit/biking. Has anyone with a grad student schedule tried taking the bus/light rail between the two cities?

3) Suburbs - Are there good rental options in the surrounding areas like Louisville, etc? We are used to paying astronomical rents in SF, so everything seems cheap! What's ballpark for a cozy 1 or 2BR? Shabby okay, dirty or infested not okay.

4) Gay friendliness - We're not ultra liberal, but we are not in the closet and don't plan on going back in anytime soon. Any towns we should avoid? We're not looking for "a scene" per se, in any case.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all your insights and the hard work everyone puts into this forum. It's been a god-send already!

[movementarian]

One of you at CU and the other at DU? I'd probably live somewhere in downtown Denver. The BX is an express coach bus that runs between the two cities and makes only a few stops. DU seems like it would be an easier parking situation than CU. Both cities are fun places.

Regarding suburbs - I wouldn't want to routinely do the drive from downtown Louisville to DU. I think it would also be a tough bus ride from Boulder or Boulder suburbs to DU (might have to transfer to the light rail at Union Station). If you live in downtown Denver area, it will be a quick bus/light rail/drive/bike ride to DU and the BX bus to Boulder will be tolerable (considering you don't have to park up there).

[shellers4420]

Thanks movementarian, that's good to know. Do you know if the BX buses have bike racks?

Also, does anyone have ideas of cost of living in the two cities?

[Katarina Witt]

To the best of my knowledge, all the buses have bike racks. There are many COL calculators on the web.

[Bradburn1]

K, got some suggestions for ya:

1. The Highlands neighborhood (NOT Highlands Ranch). Fun, funky neighborhood that is walkable with great little downtown area, gay friendly. A little closer to DU than CU but commute is doable for both, should be able to get public transit to both areas but for CU may need to do a park n ride.

2. My neighborhood, Bradburn Village in Westminster (is on Westminster/Broomfield border, about 15 minutes from Louisville). Is a walkable new urbanist neighborhood with nice row home rentals available (in the 800-1300 a month range from 1-3 bedrooms I believe), can take public transit to both CU and DU (from close park n rides), bit a long commute to DU (I would estimate about 40-50 min), to CU about 30 min (this is in rush hour on bus). We have several gay couples that live here and they are fully accepted and welcomed. I wouldn't say it was a real happening scene (is the suburbs afterall), but has several cute local bars, lots of restaurants, an organic grocer you can walk to, and direct access to a huge open space with running trails.

I love Louisville and it's super cute and walkable (at least close to the downtown) but the commute from there to DU would kinda suck. I think the Highlands is probably your best bet.

Good luck!

[qfrost]

Also, does anyone have ideas of cost of living in the two cities?

You can look at several cost of living online calculators. I did the CNN Money one real quick:

Groceries 16% less
Housing 38% less
Utilities 7% less
Transportation 14% less
Healthcare 11% less

If you made 100K there, you could live the same on 72K in Boulder. Locals can correct anything here.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by qfrost

Also, does anyone have ideas of cost of living in the two cities?

You can look at several cost of living online calculators. I did the CNN Money one real quick:

Groceries 16% less
Housing 38% less
Utilities 7% less
Transportation 14% less
Healthcare 11% less

If you made 100K there, you could live the same on 72K in Boulder. Locals can correct anything here.

Is this a comparison between Boulder and Denver? I find everything pretty much the same. I think grocery prices are about even; I'd be surprised if Boulder's are that much higher. Most people get their groceries at the three chain supermarkets. Housing is a funny thing. There are some very high end homes in Boulder, and some very low end homes in Denver. However, for the same house, the prices are pretty much the same. The utility company is the same for both cities, so I don't get the 7% less in Denver. Maybe if you had a smaller house, but again, for the same house, it should be the same. The transportation company, RTD, is the same for both. Gas can be more expensive in Boulder, but only by a few cents per gallon. Health care? Doesn't sound right to me.

[Katarina Witt]

BTW, Sperling's calculator says this:


Boulder is
34%
more expensive than Denver.

Housing
is the biggest factor in the cost of living difference.

Housing is
106%
more expensive in Boulder.
A salary of $100,000 in Denver, Colorado should increase to $133,692 in Boulder, Colorado

Denver Boulder
Overall 105 140
Food 114 115
Housing 99 204
Utilities 102 86
Transportation 111 106
Health 131 118
Miscellaneous 99 98

Here is a very detailed one; also highligts housing:

Cost of Living comparison calculator

I disagree with the difference in a lot of these categories, especially retail. A lot of people in Boulder shop in metro Denver, e.g. FlatIron Crossing Mall.

This one: Cost of Living Wizard | Salary.com looks the most accurate. It predicts a +12.5% higher COL in Boulder, with a 0.5% lower salary (for the same job). It doesn't say why Boulder is 12.5% higher, an educated guess would be housing, but that can be mitigated.

[qfrost]

No, a comparison between San Francisco and Boulder. My bad, I read her request wrong.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by qfrost

No, a comparison between San Francisco and Boulder. My bad, I read her request wrong.

OK, well, forgive my long rant. It was fun looking up the calculators. I feel Boulder's COL is highly over-rated. You CAN find decent priced housing there. My DD rented a small 2 BR apt. for $850/mo, two years ago. Prices haven't gone up *that* much since.