Required Salary? Housing Costs? (Denver, Aurora: apartment, rentals, house)

[psyotik]

My younger brother just accepted a position in Denver as a Civil Engineer straight out of school. So he will be making the move in May once he graduates.

My Fiance and I would also like to make the move to Denver. Currently we are living on the coast in MS. I work in IT and make 36k a year here. Around here it costs $800 for a decent 1 bedroom apartment near the city to $850-900 for a 2 bedroom duplex outside the city. They seem somewhat comparable to what I have seen for rent on the websites in Denver.
I have "seen" positions on Monster and Indeed that are very similar to the current position I am working. And I meet the requirements. Posted as 50k-65k.
However what would be the minimum required Salary to live in Denver. For a couple without any debts.

Once my brother moves, how difficult would it be to drive across the city for a job. He will most likely find a location as close to his work as possible. I am worried that I may find a position on the opposite side of the city and make it difficult to make the daily commute.

Also how is the service industry? Is it easy for a Food Server to find a job? Do people tip well in Denver?

[davebarnes]

Have you looked on Padmapper.com?
Use the filters.

I found this
Converted Storefront in Berkeley Neighborhood
which is 1 block from my house and it is a dump.

I think your budget is too low.
Denver is not the coast of Mississippi.

[psyotik]

I was not stating my budget, I was stating what we could currently get in MS.
We are currently paying below:

$875 2 bedroom duplex- tiny but nice
$225 electric bill
$75 water bill
$65 crappy internet only

Since it appears the salary's are higher in Denver actually much higher, I was wondering what we would need.

I found these in the same price range. So not really sure how my budget is to low even if I was expecting to pay the exact same as I do here.

$825 2BR at 42 West
$950 2BR/1BA Apartment - 4835 W 34th Ave
$900 2 Bedroom Duplex in Denver - $900 / 2br - 1 Ba / 900ft²

Are the utility costs in Denver comparable? I have read that water is costly in Denver?

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by psyotik

$825 2BR at 42 West - basement apt
$950 2BR/1BA Apartment - 4835 W 34th Ave - looks OK
$900 2 Bedroom Duplex in Denver - $900 / 2br - 1 Ba / 900ft² - horrible neighborhood, horrible location, Español solamente

Your electric is very high, but I assume that it is both heat and cooling.
Heating here is usually gas.
I live in a 1900 sqft + 900 sqft basement duplex and have never had an Xcel Energy bill that high for both gas and electricty.

We water a tiny lawn and our water bill is $30-50 per month.

Internet is about the same. Speed varies a lot by exact address.

[psyotik]

Yes electric is heating/ cooling
Water is for water/ waste

Currently on our current income we have a budget of $1100 a month rent. With the exact same cost in utilities that we currently pay. That is if our income stayed exactly the same. Plus we would be living with my brother as a room mate so that would cut 1/2 of the rent off.

And just based on Indeed / Monster / Dice the positions I am looking into will be a 10-15k a year increase in what I am currently making. Apparently there is a much higher demand for IT work in Denver than anywhere on the Gulf Coast.

So how long would a drive across the city from work to home typically take in 5-6pm traffic?
And how is the service industry for Food Service jobs?

[denverian]

Originally Posted by psyotik

Yes electric is heating/ cooling
Water is for water/ waste

Currently on our current income we have a budget of $1100 a month rent. With the exact same cost in utilities that we currently pay. That is if our income stayed exactly the same. Plus we would be living with my brother as a room mate so that would cut 1/2 of the rent off.

And just based on Indeed / Monster / Dice the positions I am looking into will be a 10-15k a year increase in what I am currently making. Apparently there is a much higher demand for IT work in Denver than anywhere on the Gulf Coast.

So how long would a drive across the city from work to home typically take in 5-6pm traffic?
And how is the service industry for Food Service jobs?

Drive can vary. "Across the city", as in Boulder to Castle Rock would take 2 hours or more at rush hour. Aurora to Lakewood maybe an hour. Across urban Denver on surface streets, 45 min.

[psyotik]

That seems quite reasonable. It take me about 25 minutes to make it home in traffic at 5pm which is only a 8 mile drive.

[sbelvedere]

Originally Posted by psyotik

My younger brother just accepted a position in Denver as a Civil Engineer straight out of school. So he will be making the move in May once he graduates.

My Fiance and I would also like to make the move to Denver. Currently we are living on the coast in MS. I work in IT and make 36k a year here. Around here it costs $800 for a decent 1 bedroom apartment near the city to $850-900 for a 2 bedroom duplex outside the city. They seem somewhat comparable to what I have seen for rent on the websites in Denver.
I have "seen" positions on Monster and Indeed that are very similar to the current position I am working. And I meet the requirements. Posted as 50k-65k.
However what would be the minimum required Salary to live in Denver. For a couple without any debts.

Once my brother moves, how difficult would it be to drive across the city for a job. He will most likely find a location as close to his work as possible. I am worried that I may find a position on the opposite side of the city and make it difficult to make the daily commute.

Also how is the service industry? Is it easy for a Food Server to find a job? Do people tip well in Denver?

Patience would be my first piece of advice. Let your brother move and get an address, then use that for your job applications. Local addresses are very helpful.

Denver is a big service city for the mountain west, so yes, IT is a big sector here. I'm optimistic you'll be successful in Denver, but you need to also realize that a lot of people move here without a job because of the allure of the Colorado lifestyle, and that's not a good idea in general (the amount of time it takes to land a good job is far from definite). So patience is very important. Dave's numbers gel with my own experience in the western suburbs--my worst gas+electric for a poorly insulated 1960s house is something like $280 in the dead of winter. Summers (without AC) rarely top $80 for the gas+electric amount (1500 sq. ft. ranch and same amount basement). That's due to the dry weather. You open the windows at night, close them in the morning, and even if it's 100 degrees out, the poorly insulated 1960s house doesn't go above 85. So any rental duplex, etc. you find will probably be better than my experience.

That said, rentals are also hard to find because Denver is very owner-occupied. So that goes with the same advice--patience. Get the job, then get the rental. Traffic patterns can be strange here. The trip from the western suburbs up to Boulder, some 20-25 miles, may only take 40 minutes, whereas a 10 mile trip from downtown Denver to the Denver Tech Center (DTC) that is only 10 miles on I-25 can take much longer. Again, patience. Visit your brother before signing any rental agreements after you find a job and scout it out. You're very fortunate compared to a lot of people moving to Denver to have a "pioneer" of sorts in your brother--take advantage of that. Good luck.

[davebarnes]

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/rmiug-jobs/info

[weaselspeed]

@sbelvedere

You mention that rentals are very hard to find. I have been searching for a month at least just to see whats out there and there are places in every neighborhood. I'm curious as to how 'hard' it really is?