Pls Help--Houston twenty-something moving to Denver/Aurora (Montrose, Center: rental, condo)

[bibliophile28]

Hi all, I'm 27 years old woman and I'm applying for a job at the UC Anschutz campus in Aurora. The job seems really cool but I'm concerned about the cost of living in Denver. Right now I'm making 46K in Houston, and despite loving the city, I'm having trouble finding higher paying jobs in my field here. The prospective job is going to be in the range of 48k-58k, which sounds awesome until I plugged those numbers into one of those cost of living calculators, which tells me that I'd essentially be making the same salary that I have right now (since TX doesn't have state income tax). Is this true? Is the rent and COL really that high in the Denver/Aurora area?

Also, how diverse is Denver? Are there lots of cultural activities in the city? What's the dating scene like for twentysomething young professionals?

Any advice and insight is much appreciated!

[Mike from back east]

To see rental prices, look at padmapper.com and beware the warnings about scammers on craigslist. Rents are high in Denver.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by bibliophile28

Is this true? Is the rent and COL really that high in the Denver/Aurora area?

Also, how diverse is Denver? Are there lots of cultural activities in the city? What's the dating scene like for twentysomething young professionals?

Any advice and insight is much appreciated!

You are right to be concerned about the COL here. Rent is really that high.

Not as diverse as Houston. We have museums, arts, the occasional street fair, but the Broncos take up 70% of the culture here. We have tons of 20-something single yuppies, so you're fine in that regard.

[Texas Ag 93]

OP, where do you live in Houston now and where do you work? If you work in the Texas Medical Center, you will be pleasantly surprised by how small and easy to navigate Anschutz is. The challenge is going to be that while the Med Center is located in an urban location surrounded by a lot of desirable inner loop neighborhoods, Anschutz is not in a desirable part of town. The good news is Denver is much smaller, so there are plenty of great, walkable urban neighborhoods where you can live and still have a decent commute to Anschutz. As far as rental prices go, again, a lot of it depends on where you live in Houston. If you are living inside the loop in a nice place, I think you will find Denver to have higher rental prices, but not that much higher.

You're going to have a lot more "neighborhoods with character" options than Houston has. I would avoid living in Aurora. Not a good choice for your demographic or lifestyle.

[Zeppelin0129]

Rent is getting astronomical, especially within Central Denver. The benefit of having a job at Anschutz is you could live in Aurora which tends to be more economical, but still have easy access to many of the benefits of downtown.

[Dirty-Mill]

Originally Posted by bibliophile28

Hi all, I'm 27 years old woman and I'm applying for a job at the UC Anschutz campus in Aurora. The job seems really cool but I'm concerned about the cost of living in Denver. Right now I'm making 46K in Houston, and despite loving the city, I'm having trouble finding higher paying jobs in my field here. The prospective job is going to be in the range of 48k-58k, which sounds awesome until I plugged those numbers into one of those cost of living calculators, which tells me that I'd essentially be making the same salary that I have right now (since TX doesn't have state income tax). Is this true? Is the rent and COL really that high in the Denver/Aurora area?

Also, how diverse is Denver? Are there lots of cultural activities in the city? What's the dating scene like for twentysomething young professionals?

Any advice and insight is much appreciated!

With the higher taxes and higer housing costs you will probably be paying $400-$600 a month more to live in Denver.

If I were you I would stay in Houston. Isn't the housing market there dropping? You might be able to get a good deal on a house or condo in the next year or two.

[bibliophile28]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

OP, where do you live in Houston now and where do you work? If you work in the Texas Medical Center, you will be pleasantly surprised by how small and easy to navigate Anschutz is. The challenge is going to be that while the Med Center is located in an urban location surrounded by a lot of desirable inner loop neighborhoods, Anschutz is not in a desirable part of town. The good news is Denver is much smaller, so there are plenty of great, walkable urban neighborhoods where you can live and still have a decent commute to Anschutz. As far as rental prices go, again, a lot of it depends on where you live in Houston. If you are living inside the loop in a nice place, I think you will find Denver to have higher rental prices, but not that much higher.

You're going to have a lot more "neighborhoods with character" options than Houston has. I would avoid living in Aurora. Not a good choice for your demographic or lifestyle.

I'm living in the Med Center area right now and I really like the fact that it's close to Montrose and Museum District. Bummer to hear Aurora isn't the same Thanks!

[bibliophile28]

Originally Posted by Dirty-Mill

With the higher taxes and higer housing costs you will probably be paying $400-$600 a month more to live in Denver.

If I were you I would stay in Houston. Isn't the housing market there dropping? You might be able to get a good deal on a house or condo in the next year or two.

Yeah, it is definitely dropping though it'd be hard for me to get a down payment on a single income. Oh well, we'll see how the salary negotiation goes.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by bibliophile28

I'm living in the Med Center area right now and I really like the fact that it's close to Montrose and Museum District. Bummer to hear Aurora isn't the same Thanks!

Sorry, gone for a few days and just saw this....

The good news is that Denver has tons of older, fun urban neighborhoods that will remind you of the areas you like near the Med Center in Houston. And since Denver is so much smaller and more compact, if you are willing to drive 20-30 minutes or so, you have many options on where to live. The best, closest neighborhood options that are popular with professionals who work in Anschutz, are Stapleton (and maybe Lowry). Those are more family oriented (not as many singles). But, they might be both work taking a look at.

City Park is the park where the museums in Denver are located, and like in Houston, there is a lot of residential around there as well. Look at City Park, Cheesman Park, Congress Park, South Park Hill and surrounding areas. Maybe Baker, Hale. Here's a link to a map that might be helpful for you (FYI- Anschutz does not appear on this map, because it's not Denver, but it's located just to the S/SE of where you see Stapleton and Montbello).

http://www.denverhomesonline.com/fil...ods_Proper.jpg

If you really want to go urban, consider living downtown. That might be the point at which the commute becomes more than you want to do, though....