

Denver vs Salt Lake City
$82/mo less in Salt Lake City
DenverSalt Lake CityAbout 433 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Salt Lake City costs you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 222 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,549/mo in Salt Lake City. $2,631/mo in Denver. −$984 a year.
Denver
$2,631
left each month
Salt Lake City
$2,549
−$82 vs Denver
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 397 households moved Denver → Salt Lake City (avg AGI $92,365). 402 went the other way. The whole move →
−$82 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Denver | Salt Lake City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,250 | $7,705 | −$545 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,057 | $1,936 | −$120 |
| Take-home pay | $6,193 | $5,769 | −$424 |
| Rent | $1,489 | $1,265 | −$224 |
| Getting around | $551 | $519 | −$32 |
| Groceries | $420 | $396 | −$24 |
| Healthcare | $473 | $446 | −$27 |
| Utilities | $263 | $248 | −$15 |
| Everything else | $368 | $347 | −$21 |
| Left over | $2,631 | $2,549 | −$82 |
Salary to match Denver
$94,000
Gross pay in Salt Lake City that leaves the same amount as $99,000 in Denver.
Tax difference
−$493
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.9% in Denver, 25.1% in Salt Lake City.
More about Salt Lake City
Denver, CO in full
Mountains in an hour, 245 sunny days, and a flat 4.4% state tax.
Salt Lake City, UT in full
Four ski resorts inside an hour and a 23-minute average commute.
The other way
Start in Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City → Denver →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Salt Lake City than Denver?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Salt Lake City leaves about $82 less a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,489 in Denver and $1,265 in Salt Lake City.
Does Salt Lake City have state income tax?
Salt Lake City is in Utah, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Denver to Salt Lake City?
The paycheck is taxed in Utah. 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 Denver and Salt Lake City 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.