Denver-Aurora-Centennial Carson City

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Denver-Aurora-Centennial to Carson City is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 105.8 to 98.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $543/mo.

-$12,497
BLS median salary lower in Carson City
481 to 407
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
16.6:1 to 20.5:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,788
DOL infant care lower / yr in Carson City

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 105.8 → 98.1
Rent Delta: -$543/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 8% lower cost of living
  • + $543/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $12K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 105.8 to 98.1, so each dollar covers more in Carson City (ratio 0.93). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $543/mo ($6,516/yr) from $2,089 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial to $1,546 in Carson City.

Carson City leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Carson City sits #356 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Denver-Aurora-Centennial is #377/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $12,497 lower ($78,519 → $66,022). Labor-market size: 1,580,940 tracked jobs at origin vs 25,810 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Colorado 46 (F, #44/51) vs Nevada 53 (D, #39/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Carson City
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 105.8
RPP 98.1
Carson City
Rent (2BR)
$2,089/mo
$1,546/mo
Carson City
Wages
$78,519
$66,022
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Crime
481 per 100K
407 per 100K
Carson City
Schools
16.6:1
20.5:1
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Childcare
$12,821/yr
$10,033/yr
Carson City
Environment
5561 violations
1021 violations
Carson City

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Colorado
46 F #44/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
90
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
26
Destination state · Nevada
53 D #39/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
84
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
2

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial to see what you'd need to earn in Carson City to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Carson City
-

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026