Is Fort Collins cheaper than Boulder? (Denver, Greeley: house, job market, living in)

[Tonyd223]

Really want to move to the front range, trying to find the most affordable place for me.

[jwiley]

Yes it is cheaper, however the job market is much worse than being in Boulder, lower pay and less demand in Fort Collins right now.

[Tonyd223]

Are there any places that are cheaper and also have better job opportunities? I was looking into Longmont or Louisville also, would these be better options?

[jwiley]

Reading your thread in the Denver forum I do not know where to tell you to go, the closer you get to Denver the better the job opportunities will be, but for the most part the more expensive it will be. It is not cheap to live along the front range, and unskilled work just does not pay very well.

[Sunderpig2]

What is considered 'affordable' will vary widely based on one's work background, education/degree, and where they are from. I'll just say that with lots of work experience and a Bachelor's degree, work has been hard to find here, and the cost of living seems high. My family wouldn't have moved here if we had fully understood the dynamics and environment. Best of luck though.

[goldenretriever1234]

Originally Posted by Tonyd223

Really want to move to the front range, trying to find the most affordable place for me.

Greeley is definitely the cheapest city on the front range. Average home prices here are below $200,000. Boulder is definitely the most expensive. I would look into Greeley or Longmont if you are on a tight budget.

[Cyborgt800]

Job market for WHAT? for middle management, brain surgery, truck driving or barista? It might help to know this...
What do YOU consider affordable? ...might need to know this as well.

Greeley is not the cheapest city on the front range as stated BTW...try Evans, La Salle, Platteville and a bunch of other no stoplight towns.

[rootwo]

Housing in FTC is expensive but doesn't approach Boulder and some Denver suburbs. There's a very simple reason for the high prices--the front range and especially Fort Collinear great places to live. Beyond housing, FTC isn't any more pricey than the average U.S. city. Living in the east now and cost of living is considerably more than FTC.

Jobs? Check City Data's information. 50% of FTC residents have a BA or better. That's high. So it helps to be educated or technically skilled. Fort Collins used to have a reputation for paying poorly because it was a desirable place to live. I don't think that's true anymore but you can do cost of living comparisons on a number of internet sites which can help give you an apples to apples perspective.

[EastwardBound]

I'd look at Loveland or Longmont.

We first moved to Fort Collins and when we started house hunting, it was nearly impossible to find what we wanted, with each property we bid on entering a bidding war and going for 10-20 thousand over asking price. Housing in Loveland and Longmont are both more affordable housing-wise, yet you're still right against the mountains, vs Greeley, which is farther out.

Both are also close to larger communities. Longmont is a short drive to Boulder, while Loveland is just 20 min to Fort Collins and both provide ample outdoor recreation with the mountains and foothill trails being so close.