Denver-Aurora-Centennial → Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Denver-Aurora-Centennial to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 105.8 to 108.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $157/mo.
- +$4,225
- BLS median salary higher in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
- 481 to 1015
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 15.7:1 to 11:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $12,659
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
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.
Pros of Moving
- + $4K higher median salary
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 3% higher cost of living
- - $157/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More expensive childcare
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 105.8 to 108.9 (ratio 1.03), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $157/mo ($1,884/yr) from $2,089 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial to $2,246 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria sits #110 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Denver-Aurora-Centennial is #377/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $4,225 higher ($78,519 → $82,744). Labor-market size: 1,580,940 tracked jobs at origin vs 3,082,600 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: District of Columbia scores 61 (C, #26/51) vs Colorado at 46 (F, #44/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 80
- Property tax
- 90
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 26
- Income tax
- 70
- Property tax
- 72
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 90
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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria to maintain the same purchasing power.
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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