Manchester, NH vs Denver, CO
Moving from Manchester to Denver? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $573,221 median home) and taxes.
Manchester 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $100,138 in Denver, CO (+$138).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Denver, CO: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 1,657 sqft in Denver ($292 vs $302 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Denver, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $22,920 | −$2,712 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $5,079 | +$144 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $4,050 | +$1,095 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $1,788 | −$1,152 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $2,800 | +$1,800 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $9,828 | +$3,147 |
| Total | $44,143 | $46,464 | +$2,321 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Denver, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 105.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 4.26% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $6.02 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $573,221 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 5.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $302 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $1,910 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |