Cost of Living Comparison
Seattle, WA vs Denver, CO
A side-by-side look at what it actually costs to live in Seattle, WA compared to Denver, CO — housing, salary, tax, and family-of-living metrics powered by FuturePath City Intelligence.
Moving from
Seattle, WA
Pacific NW · United States
78FuturePath Score
Tech-heavy market with no state income tax.
Moving to
Denver, CO
Mountain · United States
78FuturePath Score
Balanced market with strong outdoor lifestyle.
Metric
Seattle, WA
Denver, CO
Change
Median rent (monthly)
$2,350
$1,850
-21.3%
Median home price
$780K
$585K
-25.0%
Median salary
$110,000
$88,000
-20.0%
Effective tax rate
25.1%
25.7%
+0.6 pts
Childcare (monthly)
$1,850
$1,650
-10.8%
Mortgage burden
44.1%
36.4%
-7.7 pts
Cost-of-living score
68
72
+4
Overall score
78
78
0
Migration momentum
76
78
+2
The quick take
Seattle, WA and Denver, CO are close overall.
- Rent: -21.3% vs Seattle, WA
- Salary: -20.0% vs Seattle, WA
- Cost-of-living score: +4 (higher = more affordable)
Should you make the move?
These numbers are city-wide averages. FuturePath simulates your income, savings, household, and career path against both cities to score affordability, life readiness, and decision confidence.
Run a personalized scenarioExplore city profiles: Seattle, WA · Denver, CO