“How much does it cost to live in Denver?” is usually the first question people ask before moving here. The honest answer for 2026 is mixed. Rent has stopped climbing and is slightly cheaper than a year ago, but everyday prices, and energy in particular, are rising faster than they have in a while.
This guide covers the biggest monthly costs for a Denver renter: rent, utilities, getting around, and the wider price picture. Every figure is sourced and dated, because costs here change quickly.
Rent: the biggest number, and it has eased
The Apartment Association of Metro Denver (AAMD) publishes the area’s standard quarterly rent survey. Its second-quarter 2026 report put the metro Denver average rent at $1,776 a month, down $56, or 3.0%, from a year earlier.
Inside the City and County of Denver, the average was $1,798. Denver County also had the highest stabilized vacancy of the six metro counties, at 7.0%. Stabilized vacancy leaves out brand-new buildings still filling up, and counting those, metro vacancy was 9.4%.
For a renter, high vacancy is good news. It means landlords are competing, and concessions such as a free month or reduced fees are common. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the average concession was worth $169 a month, according to AAMD figures reported by the Colorado Sun. We covered how to use that leverage in our post on the fall rental market.
Where you live changes the rent
Denver’s rents vary a lot by building age. Older buildings, concentrated in Capitol Hill / Cheesman Park and Uptown / North Capitol Hill, are usually cheaper than new construction. In late 2025, apartments built in the 1970s averaged $1,423 with 8.4% vacancy, according to the same Colorado Sun report.
Our neighborhood guide for people moving to Denver compares building age and size across all twelve areas, and the full A to Z index lists the year each building was completed.
Utilities: electricity just went up
Electricity and natural gas in Denver are generally supplied by Xcel Energy. In August 2026, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved an electric rate increase that adds about $5.00 a month, or 4.77%, to a typical residential bill, effective August 29, 2026. Xcel had asked for more than twice that, about $9.94 a month.
Water is often handled differently in apartments. Many buildings include water, sewer and trash in a flat fee or bill them back to tenants. Denver Water’s own 2026 rate change was modest, adding about $2.45 to $3.30 a month on average for a typical single-family customer.
Colorado’s 2026 law on rental fees also limits what a landlord can add on top. When a landlord bills you for a utility it pays, its markup is capped at 2% of the bill or $10 a month, according to the Colorado Division of Real Estate.
What to ask before you sign: which utilities are included, which are billed back, and what a typical monthly utility charge has been for the unit.
Getting around: transit versus a car
RTD runs Denver’s buses and trains. Its current fares are:
- $2.75 for a 3-hour pass
- $5.50 for a day pass
- $10 for an airport day pass
- $88 for a monthly pass, which includes the airport
Discount fares are roughly half price for seniors, people with disabilities, Medicare recipients and riders enrolled in RTD’s income-based LiVE program. The monthly pass drops to $27 at the discount rate.
If you live near rail, a monthly pass can replace a car for most trips. The A Line connects Union Station to the airport in about 37 minutes. If you keep a car, ask each building whether parking is included or charged separately. Our car-free guide covers which neighborhoods make going without a car easiest.
The bigger picture: prices are rising
Rent may be flat, but the overall cost of living is not. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that consumer prices in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area rose 4.0% over the 12 months ending September 2026 (BLS). Energy prices led the increase, up 18.9% over the year. Food was up 3.1%.
Wages have a high floor here. Denver’s citywide minimum wage is $19.29 an hour in 2026, rising to $19.84 in 2027, according to the City and County of Denver. That rate applies within city limits, so suburbs nearby may differ.
A simple way to budget
To estimate your own monthly cost, add up:
- Rent, using the Denver County average of about $1,800 as a starting point, then adjusting for building age and neighborhood
- Fees, which Colorado now requires to be included in the advertised total price
- Electricity and gas, now about $5 a month higher than before September
- Water, sewer and trash, if billed separately
- Transportation, either an $88 RTD pass or the full cost of a car and parking
- Renters insurance, if the lease requires it
Frequently asked questions
How much is rent in Denver in 2026?
The Apartment Association of Metro Denver put the average rent at $1,776 a month for metro Denver and $1,798 for Denver County in the second quarter of 2026. Metro rent was 3.0% lower than a year earlier.
Is Denver getting more expensive to live in?
Overall prices are rising. Consumer prices in the Denver area were up 4.0% in the year to September 2026, driven by an 18.9% jump in energy costs. Apartment rents, however, were slightly lower than a year earlier.
How much does an RTD monthly pass cost?
A standard RTD monthly pass costs $88 and includes rides to and from the airport. The discount monthly pass for eligible riders costs $27.
What is the minimum wage in Denver?
Denver’s citywide minimum wage is $19.29 an hour in 2026 and is scheduled to rise to $19.84 in 2027.
Sources: AAMD Q2 2026 Vacancy & Rent Survey; Colorado Sun (Jan. 2026); Colorado PUC (Aug. 20, 2026); Denver Water; Colorado Division of Real Estate; RTD; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Sept. 2026 release); City and County of Denver. Figures checked October 2026.