Does anyone live in Boulder but commute to Denver for work? And Boulder vs Denver?

Strongly looking to move to Denver or Boulder before 2020 year end. As Boulder seems to be a bit cheaper and more my vibe, but the office I would be working at is in Denver, would it be feasible to commute to Denver during the week for work? This is assuming I won't be able to WFH everyday, but I'm sure I'd still be going to the office a once or twice a week still. Anything else I should know about the area? Comparisons to Denver and Boulder? Which is better for someone in their mid-twenties overall? Thanks in advance

If youre moving here because you want to climb, boulder is a good option to be able to have stuff close by. As for the commute, youll be going opposite of rush hour traffic on 36 so thats nice.  If you want to climb outside everyday id suggest looking twords boulder, as i have some friends in denver who get out on weekends, but they live 45 minutes away, as opposed to 2 minutes.

The cost of living in Boulder is way more than Denver. Traffic on 36 can be pretty bad. Boulder has "world class" climbing, great culture, and is beautiful though.

Average home in Boulder: $800,000
Average home in Denver: $500,000

I doubt you'll find Boulder cheaper than Denver, but it is definitely great for climbing access. I commuted to Denver for over 20 years, 10 years of which I took the bus to LoDo and 10 years of driving down to the Highlands (not Highlands Ranch but the neighborhood in Denver). I found it pretty doable, 35-45 minutes each way typically. Snow days can really blow, I got to the point that I would work from home on snow days. Commuting out of Boulder is easier than commuting in to Boulder now. The line of cars heading south at the end of the day leaving Boulder is staggering. Mostly you want to avoid commuting on I-25 between downtown Denver and the Tech Center to the south, that is really punishing unless you can take light rail.

If you only need to commute two days a week that gives you a lot more flexibility on where you live. You might look at Golden, it's cheaper than Boulder though more than Denver, great access to Clear Creek and easy to go west on I-70 to the mountains, south to the Platte and north up to Eldo. There is light rail into the city as well.

Denver is cheaper.

For this reason the Denver>Boulder commute is a lot worse than the Boulder>Denver commute. 

Boulder is much closer to climbing. 

Denver overall is better for young people who have interests beyond climbing all the time.

Boulder is more expensive than Denver. The commute is not great and it only gets worse over the years. Better to live near your work and travel for climbing. Nightlife is also better in Denver, as well as your odds in the dating pool if you're single. Boulder's population is skewing older and older over time because it has gotten so expensive to buy a home here. 

is your office in downtown denver?  If it is, the bus system is quite spot on!  I did the boulder to denver bus thing for like 4 years.  Wasn't too bad, just get your job to pay for the RTD pass.

If its not in downtown (or requires bus/rail transitioning), don't do the commute.  not worth it imo, but I HATEEEEEEEEE driving.

sandrock wrote: The cost of living in Boulder is way more than Denver. Traffic on 36 can be pretty bad. Boulder has "world class" climbing, great culture, and is beautiful though.

Average home in Boulder: $800,000
Average home in Denver: $500,000

If you are into things outside of climbing and trail running Denver is a much more vibrant, dynamic, and diverse place to live.  Boulder's climbing access can't be beaten and it does have more of a small-town vibe if thats more your speed.  But keep in mind your departure point for afterwork climbing is going to be your office, so living in Boulder isn't going to help you during the week.  Is 5-10 extra hours of driving during the week worth saving 15 minutes on the weekend drive to the crag?  That's your call.
 As others have mentioned Boulder is faaaar more expensive than Denver.

If you aren't disgusted by suburban tract living you could consider one of the 'burbs in between along 36, but to me that is the worst of all worlds -- none of the climbing and hiking access out your door, but also no vibrant cultural scene or walkable neighborhoods. 

Another option would be to look at a community along US36 on the E side of Boulder, like Louisville. Cheaper than Boulder itself, a fairly short drive to Boulder, not a bad commute to downtown Denver (Denver Tech Center is a different matter altogether), and in the case of Louisville some nice bars and restaurants downtown. But if you're also a skier than as David House suggests you should also look at Golden.

David House wrote: If you only need to commute two days a week that gives you a lot more flexibility on where you live. You might look at Golden, it's cheaper than Boulder though more than Denver, great access to Clear Creek and easy to go west on I-70 to the mountains, south to the Platte and north up to Eldo. There is light rail into the city as well.

Good info, thanks! Will check it out for sur e

L Kap wrote: Boulder is more expensive than Denver. The commute is not great and it only gets worse over the years. Better to live near your work and travel for climbing. Nightlife is also better in Denver, as well as your odds in the dating pool if you're single. Boulder's population is skewing older and older over time because it has gotten so expensive to buy a home here. 

Agreed - I live within 5 min of my office now and it's unbeatable. Good info, thanks!

abe r wrote: is your office in downtown denver?  If it is, the bus system is quite spot on!  I did the boulder to denver bus thing for like 4 years.  Wasn't too bad, just get your job to pay for the RTD pass.

If its not in downtown (or requires bus/rail transitioning), don't do the commute.  not worth it imo, but I HATEEEEEEEEE driving.

Yeah downtown Denver, will check out the bus system for sure if I make the move there. Good stuff, thanks!

I moved to Denver last summer and debated this same thing. Due to the office location in the DTC I chose to live in the Wash Park area of Denver I/o Boulder, it ended up being fantastic. I find Denver more interesting than Boulder (museums, restaurants, bars, etc) and figured I would sacrifice proximity to trails in order to have a more full lifestyle.
That being said, if you are downtown and have some flexibility for work (WFH on snow days, etc) Boulder is doable.  The Front Range Flyer bus is A nice way to travel and it drops you off at Union Station. The transit pass that is available is really convenient and a lot of companies will offer them as a perk.
I personally hate driving, so public transit has always been a big thing for me when choosing a place to live. Denver Metro area is set up pretty well (better than most US cities IMO), but certainly not perfect.
Finding a rental in Denver is super easy and prices are not outrageous. Access to climbing isn’t immediate, but with some careful planning you can get to a variety of Front Range locations in a reasonable time. 

jason.cre wrote: If you are into things outside of climbing and trail running Denver is a much more vibrant, dynamic, and diverse place to live.  Boulder's climbing access can't be beaten and it does have more of a small-town vibe if thats more your speed.  But keep in mind your departure point for afterwork climbing is going to be your office, so living in Boulder isn't going to help you during the week.   As others have mentioned Boulder is faaaar more expensive than Denver.

If you aren't disgusted by suburban tract living you could consider one of the 'burbs in between along 36, but to me that is the worst of all worlds -- none of the climbing and hiking access out your door, but also no vibrant cultural scene or walkable neighborhoods.

Yeh I'd prefer to be surrounded by climbing and trail running but at the end of the day I'll probably too beat to do most of that at the end of the day (especially if commuting) and just end up in the gym anyway. Commuting to Boulder most weekends can't be that bad anyway - leaning Denver now for sure...unless my company does come out with a killer WFH policy, which is possible. 

Martin le Roux wrote: Another option would be to look at a community along US36 on the E side of Boulder, like Louisville. Cheaper than Boulder itself, a fairly short drive to Boulder, not a bad commute to downtown Denver (Denver Tech Center is a different matter altogether), and in the case of Louisville some nice bars and restaurants downtown. But if you're also a skier than as David House suggests you should also look at Golden.

Will check that out, thanks!

Johnny Utah wrote:
Oh shet, maybe apartment rentals are cheaper in Boulder though? Idk just what it seemed like upon a few quick searches, but good to know. 

I don't know what listings you're checking for rentals, but be careful about fake ads. I was looking at rental ads in boulder on Craigslist about three years ago and there were tons of too-good-to-be true listings, like modern updated 2 bedroom condos downtown near Pearl Street for $2k/month. That's less than half what they really go for. Of course all those listings were from people who for one excuse or another couldn't let you in to show you the unit but wanted you to wire cash immediately to reserve your lease. Scam scam scam. 

Johnny Utah wrote:
Oh shet, maybe apartment rentals are cheaper in Boulder though? Idk just what it seemed like upon a few quick searches, but good to know.

In my experience, can confirm renting in Denver is more expensive than in Boulder. idk why but probably because buildings in Boulder are generally older, Denver keeps putting up new apartment buildings with high rent. Buying is a different story though.

Johnny Utah wrote:
Oh shet, maybe apartment rentals are cheaper in Boulder though? Idk just what it seemed like upon a few quick searches, but good to know.

Just live in your car until you find a cute girl in boulder that will let you stay at her house, winning strategy around here

Broomfield is where you want to be.