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Hello everyone! My situation is that I'm trying to prioritize between two police department jobs in Seattle and Denver. First off, let me clarify that I'm looking at the area as a whole around the cities, not necessarily to be right smack dab in the middle of the city. So places like Aurora and Renton are definitely on the table and even further out(Everett maybe?) depending on circumstances.
Anyway, in Seattle I'd start out at 67.7k a year(88.9k at 5 years in) while in Denver I'd be starting out at 52.1k a year(77.7k at 3 years in). Taking into account cost of living, I estimate that I'm out ahead in the beginning in Seattle, but the Seattle 5 year and Denver 3 year are basically at the same level of comfort when taking cost of living into consideration, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, so about how far will those four different salaries get me in those two areas?
And I don't know if this throws a wrinkle in it or not, but I think my healthcare premiums and my wife's and future children's healthcare premiums would be completely paid for in Seattle while I would have to pay some of the premium a month in Denver, though I can only guess how much. This is shaky information as I'm inferring it from some of the information I do know.
Now, one big thing: I'm willing to sacrifice commute time if it means I can live in a house. I'll give Seattle credit, their apartments are really swanky. But I just really want a house instead. I currently live in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah and I think we're actually rated as having much worse commutes than either Seattle or Denver, so either one would probably be an improvement for me. However, I would ideally like to keep my commute under 30 minutes, which may be a problem for Seattle and owning a house.
To give it a little perspective, I've done the calculations and I could live comfortably, for me, for about 40k a year here in the outskirts of SLC(and I think that says more about me than it does SLC, to be honest). This isn't counting whatever expenses and income my wife has. She'll be working too, but I want to get a good idea of how much I will personally be able to contribute.
Boulder is more expensive than Seattle proper, while Everett and Tacoma are cheaper than Denver proper. So you could find expensive and cheap places to live in both areas. Since you don't seem like a high maintenance family, I'd say get a cheaper place in Washington, take the bigger paycheck, and save.
Though, you may also want to consider the future of housing markets. I can't imagine anyone making money on houses in Las Vegas or Phoenix for years to come. I'm not sure if Denver or Seattle are in the boat.
Considering your age, I would recommend Denver. You'll need to the get your income up for both places but median age for Seattle Metro is 45, Denver is 37 according to Forbes. You'll be more likely to be around people your own age rather than Baby Boomer socialists and union workers who are mad at Ma Boeing for taking away the 777 plane. The younger folks moving to Seattle tend to work for Microsoft or Amazon but unless you are in tech circles, they are tough to find.
Considering your age, I would recommend Denver. You'll need to the get your income up for both places but median age for Seattle Metro is 45, Denver is 37 according to Forbes. You'll be more likely to be around people your own age rather than Baby Boomer socialists and union workers who are mad at Ma Boeing for taking away the 777 plane. The younger folks moving to Seattle tend to work for Microsoft or Amazon but unless you are in tech circles, they are tough to find.
Seattle proper - especially the urban parts - is actually a very young City.
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