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Possibly. I'm from Florida, which for the most part has extremely cheap rents. Currently I am living in Denver and I am shocked at what people pay here for an apartment. Complete and total shock. What $600 can get you in Tampa or Orlando you need to be able to put out $900-1000 here in Denver.
Average one bedroom is a thousand dollars a month in Portland. The place I'm staying at is $750 and a two bedroom but it's in a brutalist 50 year old building far from the city center.
Average one bedroom is a thousand dollars a month in Portland. The place I'm staying at is $750 and a two bedroom but it's in a brutalist 50 year old building far from the city center.
Why is Portland so expensive?
I can kind of understand why Denver is expensive. The good economy, legal marijuana, and close access to mountains and skiing. Portland doesn't have any of those things from my understanding.
I can kind of understand why Denver is expensive. The good economy, legal marijuana, and close access to mountains and skiing. Portland doesn't have any of those things from my understanding.
Competition due to its reputation as a liberal mecca.
Possibly. I'm from Florida, which for the most part has extremely cheap rents. Currently I am living in Denver and I am shocked at what people pay here for an apartment. Complete and total shock. What $600 can get you in Tampa or Orlando you need to be able to put out $900-1000 here in Denver.
Average one bedroom is a thousand dollars a month in Portland. The place I'm staying at is $750 and a two bedroom but it's in a brutalist 50 year old building far from the city center.
Add a zero to my neck of the woods - if you are lucky and like to drive.
A/C - necessary in summer but winters make up for it because you get to wear everything Cabela's has in stock:>)
Possibly. I'm from Florida, which for the most part has extremely cheap rents. Currently I am living in Denver and I am shocked at what people pay here for an apartment. Complete and total shock. What $600 can get you in Tampa or Orlando you need to be able to put out $900-1000 here in Denver.
Difference between Denver and Tampa/Orlando is that, by comparison, Denver has a more robust, diversified economy with a preponderance of well-compensated positions in the professional services sector as well as a much better educated, more talented, more capable workforce who naturally command higher, more competitive salaries, which correlates to a higher SOL and, in turn, a higher COL. And compared to the generally abysmal low-wage/low-skill service-oriented economies of Tampa and Orlando, opportunities for economic and social upward mobility are much greater in Denver, leading to a higher demand and greater competition for housing among well-compensated professionals as well as transplants from very high cost areas of the country (California, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, etc.).
But there's more to it.
Because Colorado is generally more progressive than Florida, workers tend to enjoy more and better employment-related protections. For example, working conditions, especially for healthcare, manufacturing, and trade workers, tend to be safer overall in Colorado vs. Florida. Because Colorado is not a RTW state, union presence and participation rates are higher than in Florida, so wages and salaries tend to be higher, more competitive, and more proportional to COL, and non-salary benefits tend to be better overall in Colorado. The absence and lack of participation in laborers' unions in Florida diminishes the competitiveness of salaries and the overall collective bargaining power of workers, especially low-wage service, manufacturing, and trade workers.
Non-salary benefits in particular is where Florida truly fails, IMO. I worked as a healthcare recruiter in Florida for years, and I will have you know that, for many years prior to the ACA employer mandate, it was very, very difficult to find a job in a Florida that offered health benefits. I'll never forget how many allied health workers there had little to no health coverage. Even CNA's, who would expose themselves to disease and illness every single day in addition to making only $9 or $10/hr, had no health insurance. That's unheard of in most other states, including Colorado.
That's not even taking into consideration that developable land in and around Denver, especially on the western side of town, is more scarce than it is in Central Florida, or that Denver is a popular, up-and-coming, technologically-advanced city among intellectual, professional, progressive, active, outdoors-oriented young people whereas Central Florida, OTOH with it's hospitality-driven economy, tends to attract the apathetic, uneducated type.
Difference between Denver and Tampa/Orlando is that, by comparison, Denver has a more robust, diversified economy with a preponderance of well-compensated positions in the professional services sector as well as a much better educated, more talented, more capable workforce who naturally command higher, more competitive salaries, which correlates to a higher SOL and, in turn, a higher COL. And compared to the generally abysmal low-wage/low-skill service-oriented economies of Tampa and Orlando, opportunities for economic and social upward mobility are much greater in Denver, leading to a higher demand and greater competition for housing among well-compensated professionals as well as transplants from very high cost areas of the country (California, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, etc.).
But there's more to it.
Because Colorado is generally more progressive than Florida, workers tend to enjoy more and better employment-related protections. For example, working conditions, especially for healthcare, manufacturing, and trade workers, tend to be safer overall in Colorado vs. Florida. Because Colorado is not a RTW state, union presence and participation rates are higher than in Florida, so wages and salaries tend to be higher, more competitive, and more proportional to COL, and non-salary benefits tend to be better overall in Colorado. The absence and lack of participation in laborers' unions in Florida diminishes the competitiveness of salaries and the overall collective bargaining power of workers, especially low-wage service, manufacturing, and trade workers.
Non-salary benefits in particular is where Florida truly fails, IMO. I worked as a healthcare recruiter in Florida for years, and I will have you know that, for many years prior to the ACA employer mandate, it was very, very difficult to find a job in a Florida that offered health benefits. I'll never forget how many allied health workers there had little to no health coverage. Even CNA's, who would expose themselves to disease and illness every single day in addition to making only $9 or $10/hr, had no health insurance. That's unheard of in most other states, including Colorado.
That's not even taking into consideration that developable land in and around Denver, especially on the western side of town, is more scarce than it is in Central Florida, or that Denver is a popular, up-and-coming, technologically-advanced city among intellectual, professional, progressive, active, outdoors-oriented young people whereas Central Florida, OTOH with it's hospitality-driven economy, tends to attract the apathetic, uneducated type.
PLEASE! The reason why Denver is experiencing skyrocketing rent right now is because of marijuana. Lets not try to pretend Denver's soaring rent prices are due to anything other than that. Prior to the legalization of pot Denver was a fly over city. Most people arriving to the airport didn't even go to Denver.
Almost everyone moving to Denver right now is a stoner. I'm not, and it is driving me crazy how rampant marijuana consumption is in this city. Of the four roommates I have lived with over the past two months, three of them just moved here to the city like me and they all smoke pot every day. Last night, I opened up the patio door to let some nice cool air in. A huge whiff of pot stench flew right into the apartment. I don't even know where it came from. If you think Florida attracts dumb and uneducated types you really need to come visit Denver and see who is flocking to this city.
And you speak like some guru stating that Denver has high paying jobs with benefits. I can't speak for other fields, but I work as a medical coder, and the pay I am making here (and what I have seen posted for other jobs in the area) is the exact same as in Florida, yet Florida has no income tax, and a cheaper cost of living, and the people look and act the exact same. I actually had more PTO at the last job I had in Tampa than this one here in Denver offers me.
Right, but that is expected in San Francisco. Certain cities are just known for their exorbitant cost of living. San Fran is one of them. I just don't see a justification for places like Portland or Denver to be up there too.
During 2013, of the top 25 metros, Portland had the second highest increase in household median income.
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