Johnson City Denver-Aurora-Centennial

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Johnson City to Denver-Aurora-Centennial is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 87.9 to 105.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $957/mo.

+$21,463
BLS median salary higher in Denver-Aurora-Centennial
602 to 481
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.3:1 to 16.6:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,961
DOL infant care higher / yr in Denver-Aurora-Centennial

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 87.9 → 105.8
Rent Delta: +$957/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $21K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - 18% higher cost of living
  • - $957/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 87.9 to 105.8, so the same paycheck buys less in Denver-Aurora-Centennial (ratio 1.20). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $957/mo ($11,484/yr) from $1,132 in Johnson City to $2,089 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial.

Johnson City still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Denver-Aurora-Centennial sits #377 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Johnson City is #249/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $21,463 higher ($57,056 → $78,519). Labor-market size: 74,580 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,580,940 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Tennessee scores 66 (C, #17/51) vs Colorado at 46 (F, #44/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Johnson City
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 87.9
RPP 105.8
Johnson City
Rent (2BR)
$1,132/mo
$2,089/mo
Johnson City
Wages
$57,056
$78,519
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Crime
602 per 100K
481 per 100K
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Schools
15.3:1
16.6:1
Johnson City
Childcare
$7,860/yr
$12,821/yr
Johnson City
Environment
1192 violations
5561 violations
Johnson 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 · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36
Destination state · Colorado
46 F #44/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
90
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
26

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 Johnson City to see what you'd need to earn in Denver-Aurora-Centennial to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial
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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