Overall
105.8
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Cost-of-living indicators for Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 105.8
- Overall RPP
- #24
- of 387 metros
- 146.9
- Rents RPP
- $95K
- $100K national buys
Denver ranks #24 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Manchester-Nashua
The verdict
Denver is more expensive than 94% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 105.8, 5.8% above the national average, led by rents at 146.9.
- top 6%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 101.0
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 87.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $94,534 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $105,782.
Denver vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
106 Top 6% higher than 94% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Denver cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
146.9 RPP
- Services
Services
87.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
105.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
101 RPP
What this shows Denver's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 146.9 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 87.9. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Denver's cost comes from
Metros near Denver's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Crosshairs sit at the group median (goods 101.4, rents 129.6). Denver is skewed toward housing costs relative to its peer group. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Read the chart as text
- Denver (Denver, this metro): goods RPP 101, rents RPP 146.9
- Manchester: goods RPP 97.7, rents RPP 134.2
- Bremerton: goods RPP 105, rents RPP 129.6
- Portland: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 125.1
- Anchorage: goods RPP 107.3, rents RPP 109.9
- Boulder: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 157
- Riverside: goods RPP 101.4, rents RPP 129.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
101.0
Above avg
Services
87.9
Cheap
Rents
146.9
Expensive
Housing-led cost profile
How Denver's cost structure works
Housing is the defining pressure in Denver: rents index at 146.9, the furthest component above the national benchmark. The overall index of 105.8 places Denver in the top quartile for cost; the rent line explains why a similar headline RPP can still require a different housing budget.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, Boulder, CO, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL. They resemble Denver across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Denver's overall index has stayed within 0.0 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$105,782
in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$52,891
$75,000 nationally
$79,337
$125,000 nationally
$132,228
$150,000 nationally
$158,673
$200,000 nationally
$211,564
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
4/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
4th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Denver's overall RPP did not change 0.0 points, from 105.8 in 2023 to 105.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 95.9 to 87.9. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.0 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2020, when the index jumped 5.0 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Denver overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 105.8 |
| 2009 | 103.3 |
| 2010 | 101.9 |
| 2011 | 105.0 |
| 2012 | 105.1 |
| 2013 | 104.9 |
| 2014 | 104.8 |
| 2015 | 105.0 |
| 2016 | 105.2 |
| 2017 | 104.3 |
| 2018 | 102.4 |
| 2019 | 104.4 |
| 2020 | 109.4 |
| 2021 | 109.1 |
| 2022 | 107.3 |
| 2023 | 105.8 |
| 2024 | 105.8 |
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Denver's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Goods 104.0 · Services 92.8 · Rents 151.3 Boulder, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 82.7 · Rents 157.0 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Goods 103.6 · Services 97.2 · Rents 155.6 Bozeman, MT
Goods 96.0 · Services 73.6 · Rents 139.2 Naples-Marco Island, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.8 · Rents 129.4 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA
Goods 105.0 · Services 92.0 · Rents 129.6
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO's index of 105.8.
CO-relative analysis
Goods prices places Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO toward the top of CO's metros
Among the 7 CO metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO ranks #1 - the 86th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 7
86th percentile in CO
Services prices
#1 of 7
86th percentile in CO
Rent prices
#2 of 7
71st percentile in CO
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within CO only, not a livability score.
Other CO Metros
Boulder, CO 105.2 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 101.1 Colorado Springs, CO 100.7 Greeley, CO 100.2 Grand Junction, CO 95.5 Pueblo, CO 91.8
View all CO metros → Cheapest in CO → Most expensive in CO →
Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
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What this means for Denver
How to read Denver's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $94,534 in Denver. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 146.9, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Denver head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 105.8, meaning it is 5.8% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 101.0, services at 87.9, and rents at 146.9. It ranks #24 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $105,782 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Conversely, $100K earned in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO has the purchasing power of $94,534 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
Rents in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO are indexed at 146.9, which is 46.9% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO's overall cost index changed by +-0.0 points (from 105.8 to 105.8). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
The priciest category in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is rents at 146.9, 46.9% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 87.9, 12.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Manchester-Nashua, Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO's 105.8.
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.