Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater to Denver-Aurora-Centennial is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.9 to 105.8 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $112/mo.

+$10,115
BLS median salary higher in Denver-Aurora-Centennial
210 to 481
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.8:1 to 15.7:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$2,316
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: 100.9 → 105.8
Rent Delta: +$112/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $10K higher median salary
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - 5% higher cost of living
  • - $112/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 100.9 to 105.8 (ratio 1.05), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $112/mo ($1,344/yr) from $1,977 in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater to $2,089 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial.

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater 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). Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater is #338/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $10,115 higher ($68,404 → $78,519). Labor-market size: 1,402,180 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,580,940 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Florida scores 62 (C, #23/51) vs Colorado at 46 (F, #44/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.9
RPP 105.8
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Rent (2BR)
$1,977/mo
$2,089/mo
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Wages
$68,404
$78,519
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Crime
210 per 100K
481 per 100K
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Schools
17.8:1
15.7:1
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Childcare
$10,505/yr
$12,821/yr
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Environment
2736 violations
5561 violations
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater

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 · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12
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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater 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