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CityLedger

Denver vs Seattle

Metro-area medians — Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area vs Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Denver comes out ahead, winning 7 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Denver is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Seattle households earn about 4% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches about as far in either.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Denver, CO
$58,707
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$55,498
real value after local prices
Seattle, WA
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$55,171
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Denver leaves you about $326/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Denver
Seattle
Livability (CityLedger)
83/100
78/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
105.8
111.1
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$102,140
$101,129
Median household income
$108,046
$112,388
Median rent
$1,943/mo
$2,050/mo
Median home value
$631,000
$743,000
Unemployment
4.2%
4.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher
51.6%
48.5%
Average commute
27.7 min
30 min
Air quality (median AQI)
64
47
Avg temperature
50°F
54°F

Choose Denver for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full Denver profile →

Choose Seattle for

  • + Median household income
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Seattle profile →

Denver vs Seattle — frequently asked

Is Denver cheaper than Seattle?
Denver is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Seattle's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Denver or Seattle?
Seattle has the higher median household income — $112,388 versus $108,046 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Denver or Seattle?
It is roughly a wash. After adjusting income for local prices, a typical paycheck is worth about the same in both metros ($102,140 versus $101,129).
Which has cheaper rent, Denver or Seattle?
Denver has cheaper rent — a median of $1,943/mo versus $2,050/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).