New York-Newark-Jersey City Denver-Aurora-Centennial

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from New York-Newark-Jersey City to Denver-Aurora-Centennial is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 112.6 to 105.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $235/mo.

-$8,629
BLS median salary lower in Denver-Aurora-Centennial
380 to 481
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.8:1 to 16.6:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$1,048
DOL infant care lower / 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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 112.6 → 105.8
Rent Delta: -$235/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 7% lower cost of living
  • + $235/mo cheaper rent (2BR)

Cons of Moving

  • - $9K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 112.6 to 105.8, so each dollar covers more in Denver-Aurora-Centennial (ratio 0.94). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $235/mo ($2,820/yr) from $2,324 in New York-Newark-Jersey City to $2,089 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Denver-Aurora-Centennial sits #377 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). New York-Newark-Jersey City is #344/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,629 lower ($87,148 → $78,519). Labor-market size: 9,414,820 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,580,940 at destination.

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

Dimension
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 112.6
RPP 105.8
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Rent (2BR)
$2,324/mo
$2,089/mo
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Wages
$87,148
$78,519
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Crime
380 per 100K
481 per 100K
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Schools
11.8:1
16.6:1
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Childcare
$13,869/yr
$12,821/yr
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Environment
5536 violations
5561 violations
New York-Newark-Jersey 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 · New York
46 F #46/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
48
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
96
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 New York-Newark-Jersey 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
-

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