Moving from Anchorage to Denver
Moving to Denver costs you $159 a month
−$1,908 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Anchorage leftover
$2,806
a month after tax and rent
Denver leftover
$2,647
−$159 vs Anchorage
| Per month | Anchorage | Denver | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,167 | $8,276 | +$109 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,723 | $2,066 | +$343 |
| Take-home pay | $6,444 | $6,210 | −$234 |
| Rent | $1,346 | $1,490 | +$144 |
| Getting around | $636 | $551 | −$85 |
| Groceries | $457 | $420 | −$37 |
| Healthcare | $514 | $473 | −$41 |
| Utilities | $286 | $263 | −$23 |
| Everything else | $400 | $368 | −$32 |
| Left over | $2,806 | $2,647 | −$159 |
To break even in Denver, you'd need to earn
$102,000
Household gross, versus $98,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Anchorage does now.
The tax difference alone
−$3,727
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.1% in Anchorage, 25.0% in Denver.
More about Denver
Anchorage, AK in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,602 and 138 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
Denver, CO in full
Mountains in an hour, 245 sunny days, and a flat 4.4% state tax.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Denver on Denver wages.
Denver → Anchorage →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Denver than Anchorage?
A one-bedroom is about $1,346 in Anchorage versus $1,490 in Denver. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $159 a month lower in Denver. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Denver have state income tax?
Denver is in Colorado, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Anchorage to Denver?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Colorado tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.