Denver County · Colorado
Denver cost of living (CO)
Price levels published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, with the national average set to 100 — so 108 means things cost 8% more here than the US average.
Quick answer
Denver costs 5.8% above the national average — all-items price level 105.8, rank 18 of 94 covered metros. A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $105,782 here. Housing is the reason, at 146.9.
- All items
- 105.8US average = 100
- Housing
- 146.946.9% above the national average
- Goods
- 101.01.0% above the national average
- Other services
- 99.4in line with the national average
Price level by component
Where the difference actually comes from.
| Component | Index | vs US | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods | 101.0 | +1.0% | Groceries, fuel, clothing, durable purchases. |
| Housing | 146.9 | +46.9% | Rents and imputed rents — the biggest single swing factor. |
| Utilities | 87.9 | -12.1% | Electricity, gas, water and other household energy. |
| Other services | 99.4 | -0.6% | Healthcare, dining, repairs, personal services. |
Reading the Denver price level
What the 105.8 figure actually means for a household here.
Denver prices sit 5.8% above the US average — an all-items parity of 105.8, rank 18 of 94 covered metros. Moderately above average. The median covered metro reads 100.8.
Housing drives it: 146.9, 46.9% above average. Utilities pull the other way at 87.9. The spread between the cheapest and dearest component is 59.1 points, so the headline number hides real variation — a renter and an owner in Denver do not face the same cost gap versus the rest of the country.
A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $105,782 here to buy the same basket. Run it the other way: the $91,120 median household income in Denver is worth $86,139 in national-average dollars, 9.7% above the $78,538 US median. Local pay more than covers the local price level.
Parities are published for Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO as a whole. Neighbourhood prices inside that metro diverge widely, and BEA revises the series annually.
What your salary is worth in Denver, CO
Enter a salary. We deflate it by the local price level (105.8 where 100 is the US average) and show what you would need to earn here to match the same pay somewhere average.
- Real value here
- $86,139
- Needed to match US average
- $96,389
- Monthly difference
- $439
What a local paycheck is really worth
Nominal pay is only half the story.
$91,120 median household income in Denver is worth $86,139 in national-average dollars. BEA calls that real income: income × 100 ÷ 105.8.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- Is Denver expensive?
- Yes — 5.8% above the US average, rank 18 of 94 covered metros. housing is the component furthest from average at 146.9.
- What salary do you need to live in Denver, CO?
- $105,782 to match a $100,000 national-average salary. The local median household earns $91,120, worth $86,139 after adjusting for the 105.8 price level.
- Why is the cost of living high in Denver?
- Housing at 146.9 versus utilities at 87.9. A 59.1-point spread between components means one category, not general inflation, sets the headline figure.
More Denver data
Other Denver datasets on this site.
- Denver population and income
- Denver sales tax rate
- Denver property tax
- Denver home values and rent
- Denver crime rates
- Denver public schools
- Denver weather normals
- Denver commute times
- Denver jobs and wages
Statewide: Colorado cities · Colorado ZIP codes · Colorado sales tax · Colorado counties
2024 BEA Regional Price Parities, published for Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Parities are metro-wide, so a single neighbourhood can sit well above or below these figures.