What salary do you need to live in Denver, CO?
Rent of $1,961 for a typical two-bedroom, a median home value of $603,800 and a price level 5.8 points above the national average: those three figures decide how far a salary goes in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro. Here is what they add up to at different incomes.
What housing costs in Denver
Renters in Denver pay a median $1,961 a month for two bedrooms. Size matters: one bedroom is $1,648, three bedrooms $2,367, so going from the smallest to the largest of the three adds $8,628 a year.
Homeowners in Denver report a median home value of $603,800. Set against the $105,762 median household income, that is a ratio of 5.7×, which keeps the buying part of the score low for most incomes.
Price levels matter beyond rent. The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures Denver's overall prices at 105.8 on a scale where the nation is 100, which makes a $100,000 salary feel like about $94,534 would elsewhere.
The salary lines for a two-bedroom in Denver
For two bedrooms, $345,000 is where Denver turns Comfortable. Below that, $171,000 marks the start of Okay and $85,000 the start of Tight; under $85,000 the score reads Stretched. Rent at the Comfortable line is 7% of gross pay.
Royal, the top band, starts at $1,093,000. At that income rent is 2% of pay and the median home 0.6× income.
These lines come straight from the calculator's formula: the income is raised until the two-bedroom score crosses each cutoff, then rounded up to the next $1,000.
| Grade | Starts at | Rent ÷ income | Home ÷ income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal | $1,093,000 | 2% | 0.6× |
| Comfortable | $345,000 | 7% | 1.8× |
| Okay | $171,000 | 14% | 3.5× |
| Tight | $85,000 | 28% | 7.1× |
What different incomes look like in Denver
On $75,000, a one-bedroom scores 24 and a three-bedroom 19, both Stretched; the extra bedrooms cost points but not a grade.
In Denver the table's top salary of $150,000 stops at Tight (41) for two bedrooms; Comfortable starts higher, at $345,000.
| Income | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | 13 · Stretched | 10 · Stretched | 9 · Stretched |
| $75,000 | 24 · Stretched | 21 · Stretched | 19 · Stretched |
| $100,000 | 32 · Tight | 30 · Tight | 27 · Tight |
| $150,000 | 44 · Tight | 41 · Tight | 38 · Tight |
How Denver ranks among 387 metros
Out of 387 metros, Denver has the 24th highest price parity and the 19th highest two-bedroom rent, which puts it in the top 10% on overall prices and in the top 10% on rent.
Its nearest neighbors on the rent list are Boulder, CO ($2,008) and Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT ($1,947).
Denver vs. the rest of Colorado
Compared with Colorado as a whole, two-bedroom rent in Denver is 10% higher ($1,961 vs. $1,782) and the median home is 12% higher ($603,800 vs. $539,400).
On statewide medians, a two-bedroom budget reaches Comfortable at $292,000 — below Denver's $345,000 line.
Looking for somewhere comparable without leaving Colorado? Boulder, CO, Fort Collins-Loveland, CO, and Colorado Springs, CO have the closest mix of rent and overall prices.
| Metro | 2-bed rent | Median home | Price parity | Comfortable from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO | $1,961 | $603,800 | 105.8 | $345,000 |
| Boulder, CO | $2,008 | $756,300 | 105.2 | $382,000 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $1,656 | $569,100 | 101.1 | $275,000 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $1,586 | $461,800 | 100.7 | $241,000 |
Where the typical Denver household lands
The median household in the metro earns $105,762 (ACS 2020-2024). Run through the calculator with two bedrooms, that scores 31, Tight. The Comfortable line is 226% above what the median household makes. For Colorado as a whole, the median household income of $95,470 scores 33 against statewide rents. A household figure may pool several earners, unlike a single salary.
All figures are pre-tax estimates from public data, not financial advice.
Score your own income in Denver
Enter your pre-tax income and home size to see Denver next to all 387 metros.
Open the calculatorSource: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional price parities by MSA (MARPP), line 1 "RPPs: All items"; metros per OMB bulletin 23-01, 2024 (released February 19, 2026); downloaded 2026-10-30.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year B25031 Median Gross Rent by Bedrooms (_003/_004/_005 = 1/2/3 bedrooms), 2020-2024; downloaded 2026-10-30.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year B25077 Median Value (Dollars), owner-occupied housing units, 2020-2024; downloaded 2026-10-30.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year B19013 Median Household Income (display only), 2020-2024; downloaded 2026-10-30.
Reference statistics only — not financial advice.