Cost of living: How can people live in CO? (Denver: foreclosed, chapel)

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Didn't you get the memo from Jazzlover? Everyone on the Front Range is only there to plant as much Kentucky bluegrass as possible and drive the biggest SUV they can find 50 miles each way to work. Every last single resident is greedy and selfish.

Not every last single resident, but enough to cause some serious economic/social/environmental problems for the region down the road. No, it's not just the Front Range--it's a problem all across the U.S. Speculative excesses, people living far beyond their means, wasting resources with no thought towards the future--those "chickens will come home to roost." The tragedy is that a lot of young Americans, and some who haven't even been born yet, are going to get to pay the price for our folly.

[formercalifornian]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Not every last single resident, but enough to cause some serious economic/social/environmental problems for the region down the road. No, it's not just the Front Range--it's a problem all across the U.S. Speculative excesses, people living far beyond their means, wasting resources with no thought towards the future--those "chickens will come home to roost." The tragedy is that a lot of young Americans, and some who haven't even been born yet, are going to get to pay the price for our folly.

What do you think we should we be doing differently? How would you find balance in serving the needs of Colorado's residents both today and tomorrow?

[onthamove]

haha stop driving suvs? i dont think soccer moms are brining folly onto us lol

[mamagoose]

Originally Posted by Charles

Try Orange County or Los Angeles County California. (just kidding....if you think Colorado is expensive...)


I work for a major aerospace company. For the same job in Southern California my pay would be a whopping 6.2% higher. I checked. The cost of living differences between Colorado and Los Angeles are a LOT more than the differences between Houston and Colorado. I also compared salaries between Houston to Colorado: Exactly the same.

I find this fascinating. My husband and I moved from Riverside County in Southern California to Durango two years ago. We would probably not have been able to buy the home we did if we had not sold a home in California. We were stunned that the cost of living is no different than Southern California and yet my salary was 2/3 lower. Fortunately, we have no children at home so we don't have that added expense. Everything is exactly the same here. I spend as much on groceries, gas, insurance, etc. that I spent there. Probably the only exception is my propane bill. We heat our home with propane and spend more in one month than I did even in the hottest month in SoCal. And that is using A/C all summer and a heater in the winter. (Yes, we are wimps. It hits 65 and most people fire up their heater.) We used our wood burning stove last year for heat and spent much less.

Property taxes and personal income taxes are 1/2 of what they are in California.

[oberon]

How can you compare Riverside County to Durango, Colorado?? From my perspective they have almost nothing in common. Durango is a (relatively) remote mountain town, while Riverside County is a major part of the second largest metropolitan area in the United States, situated in a desert near the Pacific Ocean. In Durango, the remoteness decreases the efficiency of providing resources to residents and the terrain limits space for population expansion, both of which increases cost of living if demand is high.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by mamagoose

I find this fascinating. My husband and I moved from Riverside County in Southern California to Durango two years ago. We would probably not have been able to buy the home we did if we had not sold a home in California. We were stunned that the cost of living is no different than Southern California and yet my salary was 2/3 lower. Fortunately, we have no children at home so we don't have that added expense. Everything is exactly the same here. I spend as much on groceries, gas, insurance, etc. that I spent there. Probably the only exception is my propane bill. We heat our home with propane and spend more in one month than I did even in the hottest month in SoCal. And that is using A/C all summer and a heater in the winter. (Yes, we are wimps. It hits 65 and most people fire up their heater.) We used our wood burning stove last year for heat and spent much less.

Property taxes and personal income taxes are 1/2 of what they are in California.

I should have been more clear. I meant COL to include cost of housing. Otherwise, the COL is probably about the same. Property taxes are cheaper in El Paso County than in Ventura County.

[Djbabybokchoy]

My father's always told me that it's "all relative". If the cost of living is higher, the pay is usually higher to compensate. Otherwise, it'd be a town full of high paid professionals with no one to buy their services. I've lived in New York, California AND North Carolina and they ALL had income taxes. I'm shocked Texas doesn't, actually.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by JillBoBill

My father's always told me that it's "all relative". If the cost of living is higher, the pay is usually higher to compensate.

"Usually" is all relative too. Most, repeat most, people don't make more money in LA or OC or the Bay Area or BoWash in comparison to the cost of housing. Some people in specific fields do make money commensurate with housing.

[Bideshi]

Originally Posted by JillBoBill

New York, California AND North Carolina ALL had income taxes. I'm shocked Texas doesn't, actually.

Have you looked at the property taxes and utility costs in Texas? There's your answer.

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Not every last single resident, but enough to cause some serious economic/social/environmental problems for the region down the road. No, it's not just the Front Range--it's a problem all across the U.S. Speculative excesses, people living far beyond their means, wasting resources with no thought towards the future--those "chickens will come home to roost." The tragedy is that a lot of young Americans, and some who haven't even been born yet, are going to get to pay the price for our folly.

And we can note that oil is trading at $109/bbl today, natural gas is up 34% YTD, and our country is in a recession and housing crash. Life's going to get more expensive for everybody, everywhere.

Well, almost everybody...those CEOs and fund jockeys who led the charge on exploiting the housing market with mortgage-backed securities and hedge funds were still able to scuttle away with millions...