Lexington, KY vs Denver, CO
Moving from Lexington to Denver? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,671 → $573,221 median home) and taxes.
Lexington 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 Lexington, KY, you'd need about $114,343 in Denver, CO (+$14,343).
Livability — Lexington, KY: 72 · Denver, CO: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,899 sqft in Lexington vs 1,657 sqft in Denver ($173 vs $302 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lexington, KY | Denver, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,336 | $22,920 | +$4,584 |
| Groceries | $4,721 | $5,079 | +$358 |
| Transportation | $3,870 | $4,050 | +$180 |
| Utilities | $1,620 | $1,788 | +$168 |
| Insurance | $2,200 | $2,800 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $8,073 | $9,828 | +$1,755 |
| Total | $38,820 | $46,464 | +$7,644 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lexington, KY | Denver, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 92.5 | 105.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.70% | 4.26% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.0% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.26 | $6.02 |
| Median home price | $327,671 | $573,221 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 5.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.7% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $173 | $302 |
| Median rent | $1,528 | $1,910 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.00% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 0.83% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.44% | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 22 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,200 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $250 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.0 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 260 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 26 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |