Rochester, NY vs Denver, CO
Moving from Rochester to Denver? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($285,034 → $573,221 median home) and taxes.
Rochester 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 Rochester, NY, you'd need about $107,500 in Denver, CO (+$7,500).
Livability — Rochester, NY: 59 · Denver, CO: 52 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,807 sqft in Rochester vs 1,657 sqft in Denver ($178 vs $302 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rochester, NY | Denver, CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,164 | $22,920 | +$3,756 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $5,079 | +$211 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $4,050 | +$155 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,788 | −$1,392 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $2,800 | +$1,200 |
| Taxes | $18,722 | $9,828 | −$8,894 |
| Total | $51,429 | $46,464 | −$4,965 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rochester, NY | Denver, CO |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.4 | 105.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.01% | 4.26% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.6% | 5.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.60 | $6.02 |
| Median home price | $285,034 | $573,221 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 5.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.7% | -2.9% |
| Price per square foot | $178 | $302 |
| Median rent | $1,597 | $1,910 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 9.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 7.77% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 2.76% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.79% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 28 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 16.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 490 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 18 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 3 |