Cost of living in Denver — is your salary enough?

Core monthly costs in Denver run about $3,550 — roughly $1,800 for rent and $1,750 for other living expenses (food, transport, utilities, basics). Denver median rent rose to $1,800/month post-pandemic, ending its reputation as an affordable western city.

The median rent in Denver is around $1,800 per month. Denver is classified as a high cost cost-of-living city in United States.

Using the 70%-rule (core costs ≤ 70% of gross), you need roughly $60,857 per year before tax to live comfortably in Denver. That leaves room to hit the 12% savings benchmark for United States.

Denver sits in the high cost tier within United States. Denver earners at mid-income levels are now in line with national benchmarks rather than ahead, as in prior years.

The standard rule is no more than 30% of gross income on rent. At $1,800/month in Denver, that means a gross income of at least $72,000 per year to stay under the 30% threshold.

Yes — the United States benchmark for mid-income earners is 12% of gross income. In a high cost city like Denver, hitting that rate is tighter but achievable with disciplined budgeting.