Overall
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial
- 105.8
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 103.7
Diff -2.1 RPP
Denver-Aurora-Centennial vs Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater is 2% less expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial.
2% less expensive
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA is 2% less expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 103.7 vs 105.8). A $100,000 salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial buys about the same as $98,003 in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 105.8 (Denver-Aurora-Centennial) vs 103.7 (Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater)
- $100k in Denver-Aurora-Centennial ≈ $98,003 purchasing power in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- Rents drives the gap (-30.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CO:WA 105.8→103.7
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE CO × WA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial
- 101.0
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 105.0
Diff +4.1 RPP
Services
Diff +3.8 RPP
Rents
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial
- 146.9
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
- 116.7
Diff -30.2 RPP
| Category | Denver-Aurora-Centennial | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 105.8 | 103.7 | -2.1 |
| Goods | 101.0 | 105.0 | +4.1 |
| Services | 87.9 | 91.7 | +3.8 |
| Rents | 146.9 | 116.7 | -30.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Denver-Aurora-Centennial 105.8
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 103.7
Goods
Denver-Aurora-Centennial 101.0
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 105.0
Services
Denver-Aurora-Centennial 87.9
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 91.7
Rents
Denver-Aurora-Centennial 146.9
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 116.7
Vertical line = national average (100)
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Rents creates the largest separation: Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater is 30.2 points lower. But goods and services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA is 2% less expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 2.1-point overall gap.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial corresponds to $98,003 in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater.
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
105.8
Cost Index
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
103.7
Cost Index
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial would need to be in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater for the same purchasing power:
| In Denver-Aurora-Centennial | In Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,002 | $-998 |
| $75,000 | $73,503 | $-1,497 |
| $100,000 | $98,003 | $-1,997 |
| $150,000 | $147,005 | $-2,995 |
$ in Denver-Aurora-Centennial = in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (105.8 → 103.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater more expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial?
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater is 2% less expensive than Denver-Aurora-Centennial. The overall cost index is 103.7 vs 105.8 (national average = 100).
What salary in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater equals $100K in Denver-Aurora-Centennial?
A $100,000 salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial has the same purchasing power as $98,003 in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Denver-Aurora-Centennial and Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
Rents in Denver-Aurora-Centennial are indexed at 146.9 while Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater is at 116.7 (national average = 100). Denver-Aurora-Centennial has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.