How Much Does It Cost to Live In Denver, CO?
Denver is the capital of Colorado and the largest city in the Rocky Mountains region of the United States – of which the residents of Denver are really proud.
Denver is a large city and one of the fastest growing in the U.S.
Putting rent aside, since it’s very expensive, the general cost of living in Denver seems fairly low, but, as always, your own decisions and requirements will have a huge impact on what it costs to live here.
The city offers highly skilled jobs, low unemployment, a highly educated and young population, a balanced political climate, and, of course, beautiful mountains.
United States : Cost of Living by City
- Albany, NY
- Albuquerque, NM
- Anchorage, AK
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Arlington, TX
- Asheville, NC
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin, TX
- Bakersfield, CA
- Baltimore, MD
- Bellevue, WA
- Bellingham, WA
- Berkeley, CA
- Birmingham, AL
- Boise, ID
- Boston, MA
- Boulder, CO
- Brooklyn, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Burlington, VT
- Charleston, SC
- Charlotte, NC
- Chattanooga, TN
- Chicago, IL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbia, SC
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Dayton, OH
- Denver, CO
- Des Moines, IA
- Detroit, MI
- El Paso, TX
- Eugene, OR
- Everett, WA
- Fayetteville, AR
- Fort Myers, FL
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Fort Worth, TX
- Fresno, CA
- Gainesville, FL
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Greensboro, NC
- Hartford, CT
- Honolulu, HI
- Houston, TX
- Huntsville, AL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Irvine, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Jersey City, NJ
- Kansas City, MO
- Knoxville, TN
- Las Vegas, NV
- Lexington, KY
- Little Rock, AR
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, KY
- Lubbock, TX
- Madison, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Miami, FL
- Milwaukee, WI
- Minneapolis, MN
- Nashville, TN
- New Orleans, LA
- New York, NY
- Oakland, CA
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Olympia, WA
- Orlando, FL
- Peoria, IL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Portland, ME
- Portland, OR
- Raleigh, NC
- Reno, NV
- Richmond, VA
- Rochester, NY
- Sacramento, CA
- Saint Louis, MO
- Saint Paul, MN
- Saint Petersburg, FL
- Salem, OR
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Springfield, MO
- Syracuse, NY
- Tacoma, WA
- Tallahassee, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Toledo, OH
- Tucson, AZ
- Tulsa, OK
- Vancouver, WA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Washington, DC
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Wichita, KS
RESTAURANTS
You can always find many good local and international brands as well which offer great burgers, pizzas, pasta, fish, etc.
There are innumerable breweries around the metro area.
Most brews are cheap and delicious.
A good meal out will only cost about 15$-20$, and drinks at bars are cheap unless you’re at a fancy bar.
MARKETS
The major supermarket chains in Denver are King Soopers, Safeway, and Albertsons.
As per usual, the nation’s largest discount store chain, Walmart, has several stores in Denver.
There are also many specialty and organic supermarkets such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Trader Joe’s scattered throughout the area but they do offer higher prices.
TRANSPORTATION
Denver is a city where cars are the main means of transport.
While the light rail can be convenient for traveling downtown, locals usually don’t ride the light rail.
There are not very many pedestrian areas in Denver.
Public transportation is very bad since it only covers a minute area of the city and taking into account such service, it’s not cheap either: a one-way ticket costs 3.00$.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities are rather cheap in Denver.
The cost of utilities there amounts to only around 176.53$ per month for basic ones like electricity, water, cooling, heating, and garbage services in an apartment of 85m2.
Internet, however, is pretty expensive compared to this and especially compared to many other countries.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Colorado offers year-round outdoor excitement, from hiking to running trails to fishing to rafting to skiing, you can find almost any type of outdoor activity you want near Denver, and that can save you a lot of money you would otherwise spend on a gym.
However, if you prefer indoor spaces, a gym membership will probably cost you around 62.8$ a month.
CLOTHING & SHOES
There are a number of shopping areas in Denver.
For example, Larimer Square offers some of the best shopping districts in the city and was one of the first urban shopping concepts here.
The prices are relatively low – quality jeans cost around 57.45$, while summer dresses and shirts are around 37.60 $.
Quality sneakers are more expensive, standing at around 85$.
RENT PER MONTH
As with any urban major center, downtown apartments and studios never come cheap.
Because of rapid economic expansion, housing prices have risen.
Additionally, the better suburbs around the city such as Broomfield, Stapleton, and Highlands Ranch, come with higher price tags then you might see in other suburbs.
Rent is skyrocketing beyond what most working people can afford.
For example, 1800$ for a single bedroom near downtown is very good.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Denver, CO
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $18 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $6.00 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $2.12 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.07 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $4.26 |
| Eggs (12) | $5.84 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $3.00 |
| Monthly Pass | $114.00 |
| Gasoline | $1.01 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $176.53 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.15 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $76.61 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $62.8 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $20.00 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $14.00 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $57.45 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $37.60 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $84.64 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $1942.10 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $1598.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $3629.87 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Denver, CO?
As for the expenses, the biggest chunk of the paycheck of Denver’s citizens gets spent on rent.
Rent will be your problem when it comes to finances since they’re definitely the main financial burden for the people of Denver.
As already mentioned, with more than 38% of one’s income being spent on rent, it can easily be said that it is skyrocketing beyond what most working people can afford.
The next biggest expense for the people of Denver is food.
What is also high is the percentage of restaurant expenses: namely much as 12% of one’s entire salary gets spent on restaurants, which is very high.
Average Costs Breakdown
Denver, CO: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Denver’s economy is the second fastest-growing city economy (behind Seattle), drawing new residents to its jobs (with a less than 3% unemployment rate); it also offers a high quality of life.
Denver has a vibrant economy, and if you’re in the tech industry, job prospects and growth are major draws for employment in the Metro area.
The problem is that the pay scale is completely out of proportion with the cost of living.
For example, an average monthly salary is around 5,487.45$, but almost 2000$ gets spent on rent.
In other words, you don’t make what you should and everything ends up feeling overpriced.
Denver Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Denver Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
