why do people who make good money.. (Denver, Aurora: mortgage, buying a house)

[amanda87]

try and discourage the idea that an "less than average" income can buy a life (at all) in Colorado..

I sit back and read so many threads from people who are looking to relocate and get such a snobby response from locals who find it appalling that anyone could even think they could live in Denver/Boulder on a salary of less than say.. 300k per year lol.

I didnt realize you had to be a heart surgeon, rocket scientist, or President of a company to make a decent living these days in Colorado.

Here in Texas you can make a decent living on 40k-60k, a good living on 60k-80k and an freakin awesome living on anything over!!

I know the cost of living is higher but it cant be out of reach and I love reading posts from locals who are just as confused as I am by this fact.

[DenverLawGal]

Hi Amanda,

I read your post and wondered if you were thinking about the thread of the guy with a family of 3 or 4 making $60K and wanting to move here. I was one who posted and thought it was way too low to live comfortably here. But then I retracted as I don't have kids and I realized that what I thought it took to raise kids didn't match his number.

I don't think you need $300K to live here, but I do think a lot of us here feel too many move here totally unprepared and without enough money - leading to a very bad move.

[mczabe]

I am not sure what you are truly upset about.

Are you upset that the cost of living is higher than you would like it to be in this area or that you feel people exaggerate the cost of living/income necessary to live here comfortably? Or have I missed the mark entirely?

If it's the first, then that's really not anyone's fault or snobbiness. It's just economic reality. Try costing out a move to NYC or Northern NJ. That will truly make you depressed. (However, going the opposite direction is quite refreshing!)

If it's the second, I haven't noticed that personally. I think most of the frequent posters in this forum really, truly try to give folks a realistic view of the area. Colorado overall seems to appeal quite a bit to the free spirit looking for a place to land, and sometimes those free spirits need some straight forward guidance to make sure they have their bases covered.

If it's something else, sorry for taking up space with the last two responses.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by amanda87

try and discourage the idea that an "less than average" income can buy a life (at all) in Colorado..

I sit back and read so many threads from people who are looking to relocate and get such a snobby response from locals who find it appalling that anyone could even think they could live in Denver/Boulder on a salary of less than say.. 300k per year lol.

I didnt realize you had to be a heart surgeon, rocket scientist, or President of a company to make a decent living these days in Colorado.

Here in Texas you can make a decent living on 40k-60k, a good living on 60k-80k and an freakin awesome living on anything over!!

I know the cost of living is higher but it cant be out of reach and I love reading posts from locals who are just as confused as I am by this fact.

Boulder you will probably need to make a good salary to live there. There are many areas in Denver you could thrive on $60k to $70k a year. The housing market here compared to Texas is lot more expensive. You get a lot less for your money than you do in Texas when it comes to buying a house.

[livinslv]

You can have a nice life in Colorado on $60K a year. You're not going to be able to have a $500k mortgage on a McMansion but do you really need it?

[amanda87]

@DenverLawGal - ha! actually yes, I do remember seeing your post but I was not refering to you directly You were open minded and did try and retract what you said as you had no first hand knowledge of raising a family on that paticular budget.

I have been visiting this forum regularly for a couple years now and just see alot of posts I view as negative when people try and get a realistic perspective of what to expect when moving from out of state.

@Mczabe - I would say I'm upset about people not thinking outside of their own affluant bubble and giving sound advice to someone of a lesser income. I know that my household brings in 80k but have friends that make only 40k-50k and rather than telling them "Sorry, you could not afford to live in ------ area!" or "you would neve make it on that salary!" I would refer them to the best area they CAN afford. There are always "deals" or "gems" you just have to be willing to put forth the effort to find what you want. I feel as though alot of people on these forums just dismiss people and I've seen some say they have changed their mind on moving to the Denver/Boulder areas all together because now they feel it would not be possible to survive on whatever income. It just doesn't seem right.



@Timmyy and Livinslv - cool! Thanks!! Def want to move to the area soon

[knrstz]

Truthfully, you get that response because most people feel that more money means happiness. Sure they don't come right out and say it, but you have to have money to live in a nice house, put your kids in good school disctricts...etc. There is a certain amount of truth to those things. Those things are what are important to most people, so when you mention a lower income level and moving to a city with a higher COL, they feel that your money will get you close to the aforementioned things in a different location. It's why young kids want to move to NYC, San Fran or Portland, People with families might tend to go to areas like Dallas, OKC or Houston. Jobs are more plentiful and cost of living is lower. However if you keep it simple, you can make it work in any large city and probably do more there than the people working constantly. It's just not the course that most people take.

[amanda87]

Originally Posted by knrstz

Truthfully, you get that response because most people feel that more money means happiness. Sure they don't come right out and say it, but you have to have money to live in a nice house, put your kids in good school disctricts...etc. There is a certain amount of truth to those things. Those things are what are important to most people, so when you mention a lower income level and moving to a city with a higher COL, they feel that your money will get you close to the aforementioned things in a different location. It's why young kids want to move to NYC, San Fran or Portland, People with families might tend to go to areas like Dallas, OKC or Houston. Jobs are more plentiful and cost of living is lower. However if you keep it simple, you can make it work in any large city and probably do more there than the people working constantly. It's just not the course that most people take.

I do understand what you are saying. However, I also feel some people have a warped idea about what makes a good school or neighborhood. Sometimes they think it has to be generalized as "pretty", "new", or "predominantly white or rich".. when I'm talking about the test scores, diversity, school programs, etc.

Maybe school systems are much different in Texas, I know we have some of the best around. Also, you can find an Exemplary rated school in an average area here.. and really thats all Im looking for.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by amanda87

Also, you can find an Exemplary rated school in an average area here.. and really thats all Im looking for.

South Aurora, 80014, 80015, maybe 80013
Parts of Arvada, Lakewood, Westminster, Littleton, Centennial, Thornton.

[amanda87]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

South Aurora, 80014, 80015, maybe 80013
Parts of Arvada, Lakewood, Westminster, Littleton, Centennial, Thornton.

Thanks David!