What salary do you need to live in Denver, CO?
For a single person: about $84,500/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose CO-taxed take-home covers roughly $2,089 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and an effective 3.5% Colorado income tax.
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Denver worker earns about $62,320/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $68,000 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 8% short.
Single person — est. essentials $4,499/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,499/mo
$68,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,399/mo
$84,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $6,749/mo
$109,000/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $5,948/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,948/mo
$86,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,138/mo
$105,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $8,922/mo
$134,500/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $7,353/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,353/mo
$109,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,824/mo
$132,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $11,030/mo
$173,000/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $8,377/mo
Tight
take-home covers $8,377/mo
$125,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $10,052/mo
$155,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $12,566/mo
$200,500/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($2,089) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Colorado's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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