Moving from Chicago, IL to Denver, CO
Chicago to Denver is a move of about 1,135 miles. Median rent is $1,874 a month in Denver and $1,430 in Chicago, and the median home is $603,800 against $323,000. State income tax is a flat 4.40% in Denver and a flat 4.95% in Chicago. Property tax runs 0.51% of home value in Denver and 1.98% in Chicago.
Moving to Denver costs about
$210/mo
more than Chicago each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
Homes cost 1.9x more in Denver, but the tax rate is lower
Denver taxes property at 0.51% against 1.98% in Chicago. Despite the far higher prices, you would actually pay LESS property tax there: about $3,085 a year against $6,402.
Chicago vs Denver at a glance
| Chicago | Denver | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $323,000 | $603,800 |
| Median rent | $1,430/mo | $1,874/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 4.95% | Flat 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.98% | 0.51% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 107 | 101 |
| Utilities | 84 | 88 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Chicago vs Denver
| Monthly | Chicago | Denver | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,430 | $1,874 | +$444 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $318 | $234 | -$84 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $96 | $43 | -$53 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,966 | $1,851 | -$115 |
| Utilities | $341 | $359 | +$18 |
| Total | +$210 | ||
Cost to move from Chicago to Denver
$2,400 to $5,400
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $650 to $950, against roughly $400 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 3-day trip yourself.
Housing and everyday prices here are for the metro area. Income and sales tax are set by state law and have no metro equivalent, so those come from Illinois and Colorado. Compare the whole states instead to see how each metro sits against the state it is in.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Denver, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Housing and price figures are metro-area medians or averages; income and sales tax are statewide. Neither will match any particular household.