San Francisco vs Denver
San Francisco, CA · Denver, CO
Denver is 43% cheaper than San Francisco overall.
Home Price
San: $1,350,000
Denver: $565,000
Monthly Rent
San: $3,498/mo
Denver: $1,395/mo
COL Index
San: 214
Denver: 121
Median Income
San: $131,000
Denver: $85,200
Side-by-Side Comparison
Median Home Price
Monthly Rent (Median)
Median Household Income
Property Tax Rate
Cost of Living Index
100 = national average
Avg. Commute
Unemployment Rate
Median Age
What This Means For You
Buying Power
A $100,000 salary in San Francisco has the same purchasing power as $56,542 in Denver — based on each city's cost of living index.
Housing
Homes in Denver cost 58% more (-$785,000 extra). Expect a larger mortgage and down payment.
Renting
Renting in Denver saves you $2,103/month — $25,236 per year. Median rent: $3,498/mo in San Francisco vs $1,395/mo in Denver.
Property Taxes
On a median-priced home, San Francisco owners pay roughly $8,505/year in property taxes vs $3,108/year in Denver. That's a $5,398 annual difference.
Local Earnings
Median household income is $131,000 in San Francisco and $85,200 in Denver. Denver residents earn 35% more — but remember to factor in cost of living.
Daily Commute
Average commute is 34 minutes in San Francisco vs 26 minutes in Denver. Over a year, that's 4000 extra minutes (67 hours) of commuting in San Francisco.
Salary Equivalence
To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from San Francisco to Denver, here's the salary you'd need:
| Salary in San Francisco | Equivalent in Denver | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $28,271 | -$21,729 |
| $75,000 | $42,407 | -$32,593 |
| $100,000 | $56,542 | -$43,458 |
| $150,000 | $84,813 | -$65,187 |
| $200,000 | $113,084 | -$86,916 |
* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.
Run the Numbers
Mortgage Calculator
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Rent vs Buy
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Cost of Living
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Home Appreciation
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Affordability Calculator
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Property Tax Calculator
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San Francisco Calculators
Denver Calculators
Related Comparisons
San Francisco vs Denver: Common Questions
Is San Francisco or Denver cheaper to live in?
Based on cost of living indices, Denver is cheaper overall. San Francisco has a COL index of 214 while Denver scores 121 (national average = 100).
How do home prices compare between San Francisco and Denver?
The median home price in San Francisco is $1,350,000 vs $565,000 in Denver — a difference of $785,000 (58%).
What salary do I need in Denver to match my San Francisco income?
Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in San Francisco is equivalent to $56,542 in Denver in terms of purchasing power.
Which city has lower property taxes?
Denver has a lower property tax rate (0.55% vs 0.63%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $3,108/year vs $8,505/year.
Cost of living data sourced from Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) Cost of Living Index, U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, and Zillow Research. Tax rates from Tax Foundation and state revenue agencies. Last updated: March 2025.