Cost of Living Winter Park

Is it expensive to live in Winter Park Colorado you tell us damn its expensive here man.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately especially when I look at my bank account at the end of the month and wonder where it all went because even though we work hard and have decent jobs it feels like the money just flys out the window as soon as it comes in. When people ask me if they should move here I always say yes because it is beautiful and the skiing is amazing and the summers are incredable but I also have to warn them that they better bring their wallet because nothing up here is cheap and if you think you can scrape by on a minimum wage job you might be in for a really rude awakening unless you have five roomates or live in a van down by the river.

The cost of living here is definately higher than the national average and honestly it feels higher than even Denver sometimes because we are stuck in this little valley where supply is low and demand is always super high which drives the prices of everything up from the gas at the pump to the milk at the grocery store. It is not just one thing that gets you it is the accumulation of everything adding up over time that makes you realize you are paying a premium just for the privilige of waking up in the mountains every day.

The Housing Market Is Crazy

The biggest thing that eats up everyones paycheck up here is obviously the housing situation which has gotten pretty out of hand in the last few years. If you are trying to buy a house good luck finding anything under a million dollars that doesnt need a complete renovation or isn’t a tiny condo that was built in the seventies and hasn’t been touched since. For most locals buying is just a dream that keeps getting pushed further away so we end up renting and renting is not exactly cheap either.

finding a place to live is probly the hardest part of being here cause there just isn’t enough inventory for everyone who wants to be a ski bum or just live the mountain life and when you do find something the landlord wants first month last month and a security deposit that costs more than my car. A simple one bedroom apartment or even a studio can run you anywhere from 1500 to 2500 a month depending on how close you are to the resort or if you are willing to live further out in Fraser or Tabernash or Granby.

It is common for people to stack up in houses like sardines just to make the rent affordable which means you might be a thirty year old professional sharing a bathroom with two other people and fighting over fridge space just so you can afford to buy a lift ticket on the weekends.

Here is a breakdown of what you might expect to pay for rent around the area just so you have an idea of what you are getting into.

The other thing about housing that people dont tell you is that utilities are way higher here than you might think especially in the winter because it gets freezing cold and staying warm is not free. If you have electric baseboard heating which a lot of the older condos have your electric bill can easily be three or four hundred dollars in january and february if you arent careful about turning the dial down when you leave. You also have to pay for snow removal sometimes if you rent a house because if you dont clear the driveway the snow will pile up four feet high and turn to ice and then you are basically trapped until spring comes or you pay someone a lot of money to chip it out.

Food and Groceries Are Not Cheap

So after you pay your rent you gotta eat right but eating up here is another adventure in spending money because we really only have the one main grocery store in Fraser and everyone calls it the un-safeway because sometimes the shelves are empty or the produce looks a little sad because it had to travel up the mountain to get here. Because there is basically a monopoly on groceries the prices are noticeably higher than what you would pay down in the city at a King Soopers or a Trader Joes.

I find myself spending about thirty percent more on groceries here than I did when I lived in the front range and that is just for the basics like eggs and bread and milk. If you want to buy fancy stuff or organic stuff you are going to pay a premium and sometimes you cant even find exactly what you want so you have to settle for whatever is on the shelf. A lot of locals actually drive down to Denver once or twice a month with coolers in their cars just to stock up on bulk items at Costco or getting cheaper groceries at a regular store which helps save money but then you are spending money on gas and putting miles on your car so it is a bit of a trade off.

Eating out is a whole other story because we are a resort town which means resort prices at the restaraunts and bars. You cant really go out for a cheap dinner unless you are just getting a slice of pizza or a burger at happy hour but even then with a beer and a tip you are looking at thirty or forty bucks easy. If you want a nice sit down dinner with a steak or some pasta and a bottle of wine you better be ready to drop over a hundred dollars per person especially during the busy season when the tourists are here and the prices seem to go up even more.

I love supporting local businesses and we have some great places to eat but I definately cook at home way more than I used to just because I cant justify spending that kind of money on a tuesday night when I have rent to pay.

Transportation Costs Add Up

Since we are talking about Winter Wagon and getting around I should mention that transportation is a huge hidden cost of living in the mountains that people often overlook until their car breaks down or they slide into a ditch. You absolutely need a reliable vehicle to live here and by reliable I mean something with all wheel drive or four wheel drive and really good tires because the roads can be treacherous in the winter and they create massive potholes in the spring that will destroy your suspension.

Gas is always more expensive up here than in Denver usually by about fifty cents to a dollar a gallon because of the cost of transporting the fuel up the pass and because the gas stations know they have a captive audience. If you commute to work or just drive around the valley running errands you will notice that you are filling up your tank pretty often and it hurts a little bit every time you see the total on the pump.

Maintenence on your vehicle is also more frequent because the harsh weather and the mag chloride they put on the roads to melt the ice eats away at your undercarriage and causes rust and corrosion which means you are in the shop more often fixing things. Plus you have to buy dedicated winter tires or snow tires which can cost nearly a thousand dollars for a set and you have to swap them out every season which is another cost unless you have space to store them and the tools to do it yourself.

If you dont have a car you are reliant on the bus system which is actually pretty good and free around town but it limits where you can live and work and it takes a lot longer to get anywhere so most people end up getting a car eventually even if they try to go without one at first.

• Gas Prices: Always higher than the city
• Vehicle Wear and Tear: The mountains destroy cars
• Tires: You need good snow tires or you will crash
• Insurance: Rates can be higher due to weather risks

The Lifestyle Tax

We move here for the lifestyle right we want to ski and snowboard and mountain bike and hike and fish and do all the fun stuff that makes living in Colorado amazing. But doing those things is not free and actually it is really expensive if you want to do it regularly.

First you have the ski pass which is essential if you live here because why would you live at a ski resort if you dont ski. The passes like the Ikon pass or the Epic pass cost almost a thousand dollars if you dont buy them early and if you miss the deadline the daily lift tickets are astronomical like over two hundred dollars a day which is just insane. Even with the pass you still need gear and ski gear is not cheap with boots costing hundreds and skis or boards costing even more plus the clothing like jackets and pants and gloves and helmets.

In the summer you want to mountain bike well a decent mountain bike that can handle the trails up here costs as much as a used car these days. I see people riding bikes that cost five or six thousand dollars and I just shake my head because that is more than I have in my savings account. Then you have the maintenance on the bike and the gear for that and the camping gear if you want to go camping and the fishing gear if you want to fish.

Basically every hobby you have up here requires a significant investment of money and while you can buy used gear at the gear swaps or online it is still a big chunk of change that you have to budget for.

Healthcare and Services

Another thing that is expensive and harder to access is healthcare because we are in a rural area technically even though it feels busy. There are limited doctors and specialists up here so if you need something major done you usually have to go to Denver which costs time and gas money. The local clinics are great for basic stuff but they can be pricey and if you end up in the emergency room at the resort clinic prepare to sell a kidney to pay the bill because it is geared towards tourists with travel insurance.

Services like plumbers and electricians and mechanics are also more expensive because there is a shortage of skilled labor up here so the people who do it can charge whatever they want and you just have to pay it because you have no other choice. Trying to get someone to come fix your heater in the middle of a snowstorm is going to cost you double or triple what it would cost in the city and you will be grateful just to get them to show up.

Wages vs Cost of Living

The real problem isn’t just that things are expensive it is that the wages up here haven’t really kept up with the cost of living so there is a gap that makes it hard to get ahead. A lot of the jobs are in the service industry like waiting tables or working at the resort or in retail and while you can make decent tips during the busy season the slack seasons like mud season in the spring and fall can be brutal when the town empties out and your hours get cut.

It is really common for locals to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet like working a day job at a shop and then waiting tables at night or driving a shuttle on the weekends. This hustle culture is just part of the reality of living here and while it can be exhausting everyone is in the same boat so there is a sense of commradery about it where we all complain about being broke but then we go skiing on our lunch break and remember why we do it.

If you are lucky enough to have a remote job where you earn a city salary but live in the mountains that is really the golden ticket because you can afford the high rent and the groceries without stressing too much but even then you feel the pinch because everything costs more.

Is It Worth It?

So after all this complaining and breaking down how expensive everything is you are probly wondering why anyone lives here and why I am still here writing this. The truth is that despite the high cost and the struggle and the drafty apartments and the expensive groceries there is something magical about this place that you cant put a price tag on.

It is waking up and seeing the sunrise over the continental divide and breathing the fresh air that doesn’t smell like smog and being able to walk out your back door and be on a trail in five minutes. It is the community of people who are all here for the same reason because they love the mountains and they value experiences over things and they will help you push your car out of a snowbank without asking for anything in return.

Living in Winter Park is expensive damn its expensive here man but it is also a priviledge to live in a place that people save up their whole lives just to visit for a week. We get to live that vacation lifestyle every day even if we are working hard to pay for it and honestly I wouldn’t trade it for a cheaper life in a strip mall suburb anywhere else.

If you are thinking about moving here just be realistic about your budget and come prepared to work hard and maybe struggle a little bit at first because it takes time to get established. Save up some money before you come and try to secure housing before you arrive if you can because that is the biggest hurdle. Once you are here and you catch that first powder day or that first perfect summer sunset you will understand why we all pay the mountain tax and why we stick around even when our bank accounts are crying.

It is a trade off pure and simple you trade your disposable income for a lifestyle that is rich in adventure and beauty and for a lot of us that is a trade we are willing to make every single day. So yes bring your money and bring your hustle but also bring your skis and your bike because you are going to need them to stay sane while you navigate the craziness of living in one of the most beautiful and expensive places in colorado.

Just dont say I didn’t warn you about the price of eggs at the grocery store because that is a shock that never really goes away no matter how long you have lived here.