

Austin vs Denver
$526/mo less in Denver
AustinDenverAbout 756 miles apart, a flight.
- Denver costs you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 245 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,652/mo in Denver. $3,178/mo in Austin. −$6,312 a year.
Austin
$3,178
left each month
Denver
$2,652
−$526 vs Austin
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 1,207 households moved Austin → Denver (avg AGI $112,653). 829 went the other way. The whole move →
−$526 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Austin | Denver | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,125 | $8,281 | +$156 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,710 | $2,067 | +$357 |
| Take-home pay | $6,415 | $6,214 | −$201 |
| Rent | $1,221 | $1,489 | +$268 |
| Getting around | $566 | $551 | −$15 |
| Groceries | $400 | $420 | +$20 |
| Healthcare | $450 | $473 | +$23 |
| Utilities | $250 | $263 | +$13 |
| Everything else | $350 | $368 | +$18 |
| Left over | $3,178 | $2,652 | −$526 |
Salary to match Austin
$109,000
Gross pay in Denver that leaves the same amount as $97,500 in Austin.
Tax difference
−$3,730
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.0% in Austin, 25.0% in Denver.
More about Denver
Austin, TX in full
No income tax, but property taxes are among the steepest anywhere.
Denver, CO in full
Mountains in an hour, 245 sunny days, and a flat 4.4% state tax.
The other way
Start in Denver.
Denver → Austin →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Denver than Austin?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Denver leaves about $526 less a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,221 in Austin and $1,489 in Denver.
Does Denver have state income tax?
Denver is in Colorado, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Austin to Denver?
The paycheck is taxed in Colorado. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Austin and Denver changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.