Denver, CO vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Denver to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($573,221 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Denver vs Phoenix at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Denver, CO, you'd need about $98,968 in Phoenix, AZ (−$1,032).
Livability — Denver, CO: 52 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,657 sqft in Denver vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($302 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Denver, CO | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,920 | $20,904 | −$2,016 |
| Groceries | $5,079 | $4,919 | −$160 |
| Transportation | $4,050 | $3,960 | −$90 |
| Utilities | $1,788 | $1,668 | −$120 |
| Insurance | $2,800 | $1,800 | −$1,000 |
| Taxes | $9,828 | $7,280 | −$2,547 |
| Total | $46,464 | $40,531 | −$5,933 |
Side by side
| Metric | Denver, CO | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.8 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.26% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.7% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 64 | 86 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.02 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $573,221 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.9× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.9% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $302 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,910 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.7% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.77% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.40% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.52% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.79% | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 28 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,800 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.5 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |