San Francisco and Denver

[Cbrider]

I think I'll end up in Australia or Chile. Its been raining steady here...I can feel the grey walls closing in & its only November. Normally I'd have tix booked for Mexico already, but swine flu has me hesitating.

Mbe I'll do that overdue trip to Vegas soon.

Does the kidnapping, killing and ongoing drug wars bother you, or just Swine Flu?

It's not just finding middle ground for us.

I'd really like to find a place to room with my buddy from home.

He's looking to get out of Pennsylvania, and would make a good and responsible roommate.

Fras, you have to remember too that you have listed one of hundreds of coastal cities in California, much less the West coast. SF has one of the highest cost of living in the U.S behind only NY I believe.

There are a ton of cities that offer what SF does for a lot less money. Seattle, Portland, Sacramento and Eugene come to mind. You have a LOT of possibilities, don't over look them!

[Illusional]

so of all the places that you could move to, why did you decide that it will be either SF or denver?

raverboy

[IndiReloaded]

Does the kidnapping, killing and ongoing drug wars bother you, or just Swine Flu?

In Mexico? LOL, not where I go. Anyway, we have gangs and drug wars in Vancouver now too.

[Illusional]

drugs and gangs are everywhere, what's new?

raverboy

[Junket]

drugs and gangs are everywhere, what's new?

raverboy

Denver has always been a place I've wanted to visit, and both the friend and the g/f expressed interest in San Francisco.

Short, me and the g/f are currently paying 450 per month for rent...then again you have to consider that the general cost of living is much lower here, and the pay at work reflects that.

And I'm not dead set on those places, but it's a start, and I want to have a decision made by spring.

[doppelgaenger]

Rent here is about the same, Frasbee. There are also many job opportunities, but absolutely little to no community as you know it.

[tooxshort]

The reason I asked is because I know people who pay $600 a month for a room, but the house is shared by roommates. And this is IN the city. If you move into suburbs, rent can be even cheaper. Another friend of mine rented a whole house for under $2k/month ... I know you're not looking into renting a home, but just giving you an idea.

Keep in mind that with an increased cost of living, there is an increase in wages as well. I know everyone is trippin' off the job market, but jobs still exist for those who are qualified.

[MVPlaya]

earth quakes are a rarity, the ground shakes a little every couple months, it doesn't mean anything

SF is awesome. There are excellent work prospects, it has a great job market, at least for my field, its a very high paid city, on average, and a great night life. Always something to do.

If you want to make living more bearable, you want to rent outside of SF and commute to work. Oakland has some fairly cheap and nice neighborhoods to live in (I'm serious). Berkeley ain't too bad. There's a great public transportation system (BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit) that makes commuting a breeze. Rush hour traffic through the Bay Bridge is sheer hell unless you are lane splitting.

Cost of living is high in SF, but SF also pays more money. The first consulting jobs I did were checking out what all the major fortune 500's paid their employees and how much people should get in compensation packages & other incentives. First thing I noticed was how employees located in places like SF and NY got significant pay premiums compared to their peers in cheaper areas. If you find a good job, expenses are manageable.

[IndiReloaded]

Differentials don't usually make up for extremely high cost of living places like NYC, tho.

Besides, Fras is in the trades, so a differential isn't something he'll likely see. Sure, trades can charge more in higher income areas, but I haven't noticed these rates being hugely different the way salaries are.

Better to get a decent paying job in a reasonably priced area, IMO.

[tooxshort]

I had quite a few friends who went into electrical apprenticeships ... I think electricians get paid pretty well here.

But yeah ... if you had to choose between SF and Denver, I'd pick New Mexico.

[Gigabitch]

Denver is so effing cold that the tree branches sometimes explode. You do NOT want to move there.

[Illusional]

Denver has always been a place I've wanted to visit, and both the friend and the g/f expressed interest in San Francisco.

Short, me and the g/f are currently paying 450 per month for rent...then again you have to consider that the general cost of living is much lower here, and the pay at work reflects that.

And I'm not dead set on those places, but it's a start, and I want to have a decision made by spring.

well if you can't really decide then there is always montana which always boast a vast amount of nothingness.

raverboy

[misombra]

frizzz, i think you should visit different places first. i think it would be good for you two to do a bit of traveling together.

[Illusional]

i agree, why settle into a place and then decide that you don't like it after you've found a place to rent. travel a bit first and then move.

raverboy

[CocoChanel]

You can research areas, activities and see what goes on in those areas.
But it's easy to get blinded by the hype in certain areas.
It's better if you pay more attention to job opportunities, rent prices and housing opportunities verses wasting money traveling all over the place.