How far south are you? I lived in Colorado Springs for a few years as a ski bum and all my friends in Denver used to mock me driving back and forth, but my rent was almost $500 cheaper living in Springs.
You're 100% right though.
You're 100% right though.
Is that worth $500?
Quick math:
$4/gallon, 35 mpg, 120 miles a day, so $14/day in gas, plus extra maintenance, and the 3 hours a day of your life you'll never get back.
Couldn't claim with a straight face myself that the math works.
And caveat, I wasn't going every day, A lot of the back and forth was variable depending on weather and conditions. The sad part is you can't either these days thanks to Vail. Also, gas was a LOT cheaper back then - it was hovering around $1.75 if I remember correctly so the math works a little better, but not really ideal.
We get plenty of migrants from the Denver area and elsewhere.
Of course, the sales tax and other taxes are going up. Probably heading to a truly rural area with a nice community soon. I lived in many big cities over the years. They are toxic and unsafe. I know that because I worked in public health. If you look at the morbidity and mortality by zip code, you'll see yourself. Affordable city living has a dark side.
Not to say that city life isn't great when you're in your 20s or 30s. It is fun and jobs are everywhere. But I've seen enough fatal car crashes for a lifetime.
So I'm back to trying to find a state and city that has good access to healthcare. We're a year from being empty nesters with both kids off to college so education isn't important. But I very much have the same reasoning.
Canon City in the house.