Erie, PA vs Denver, CO
Moving from Erie to Denver? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($224,109 → $573,221 median home) and taxes.
Erie vs Denver 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 Erie, PA, you'd need about $115,039 in Denver, CO (+$15,039).
Livability — Erie, PA: 71 · Denver, CO: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,903 sqft in Erie vs 1,657 sqft in Denver ($128 vs $302 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Erie, PA | Denver, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,656 | $22,920 | +$9,264 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $5,079 | +$164 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $4,050 | +$610 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,788 | −$528 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $2,800 | +$1,600 |
| Taxes | $8,027 | $9,828 | +$1,801 |
| Total | $33,554 | $46,464 | +$12,910 |
Side by side
| Metric | Erie, PA | Denver, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 91.9 | 105.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.47% | 4.26% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -2.6% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.23 | $6.02 |
| Median home price | $224,109 | $573,221 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.8× | 5.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 5.9% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $128 | $302 |
| Median rent | $1,138 | $1,910 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.71% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |