Blog > The TRUTH About Retiring In Denver
The Truth About Retiring in Denver: Costs, Lifestyle, Reality
Retiring in Denver sounds like a dream with 300 sunny days and mountain access, but the real story includes mid-$600K home prices, unpredictable winters, and healthcare costs above the national average.
How much does it cost to retire in Denver?
The Denver metro median home price sits in the mid-$600,000s in 2025, well above most retirement markets.
If you're selling a Midwest or Southern home for $300,000 to $400,000, stepping into a $600,000-plus Denver home is a real shock. Colorado property taxes look great on paper (third cheapest in the country by rate), but our high home values mean a million-dollar home can still run around $5,000 a year. Watch out for new build communities. A $500,000 to $600,000 new build inside a special taxing district can hit $8,000 to $10,000 annually in property taxes. Then stack on higher sales tax, climbing grocery bills, insurance premiums, and utility costs. When everything else nationally goes up 10%, Denver retirees feel it more because the baseline is already high. I've watched plenty of retirees move here thinking their nest egg would stretch, only to feel squeezed once the monthly bills started rolling in.
Is healthcare expensive for Denver retirees?
Denver healthcare premiums and out-of-pocket costs run higher than the national average for retirees on Medicare supplements and private plans.
Denver has phenomenal hospitals and specialists, some of the best in the world. UCHealth, National Jewish, and the Anschutz Medical Campus pull patients from across the country. You'll get top-tier care here, no doubt about it. But it isn't cheap. Premiums, copays, and out-of-pocket costs trend higher than the national average, especially if you need regular specialist visits, ongoing prescriptions, or scheduled procedures. This is one of those hidden costs that rarely shows up in the glossy "move to Colorado" articles online. If you're on a fixed income, sit down with a Medicare advisor before you list your current home. Compare supplement plan costs in your current zip code versus a Denver zip code. The difference can run several hundred dollars a month, which adds up fast on a fixed retirement budget.
What are the best walkable Denver neighborhoods for retirees?
Wash Park, Platt Park, the Highlands, and LoHi are Denver's most walkable retirement neighborhoods, with median prices starting in the $800,000s.
These pockets have charming little downtown streets with cafes, breweries, restaurants, and grocery stores within a few blocks. The catch is the closer you get to those walkable cores, the more you pay. Take Platt Park as an example. The neighborhood median sits in the $800,000s, but homes within a couple blocks of South Pearl Street push into the mid-$1 million range. Cherry Creek is similar. Most of Denver and almost all of the surrounding suburbs are car dependent. Traffic has gotten worse as the population exploded over the last decade and roads haven't kept up. For perspective, my worst-case Denver commute (4pm Friday, 30 miles across town) is 45 minutes to an hour. In Chicago or LA that same trip is two to three hours. If you're coming from a small town, expect more traffic than you're used to, even midday.
What is the weather really like in Denver year-round?
Denver gets about 300 days of sunshine per year, but winters are wildly unpredictable with snowstorms that can drop a foot overnight.
Yes, the sun shows up almost every day. But sunshine can still mean 10 degrees with snow blowing sideways. We typically only get one or two weeks of that extreme cold per year, so it's manageable. The real challenge is unpredictability. One day it's 60 degrees, the next it dumps a foot of snow. I had clients move here from Hawaii closing in mid-November, and we got hit with what turned out to be the fifth-largest November snowstorm on record. I picked them up at the airport because I knew their front-wheel-drive rental wasn't ready for it. Spring brings hail season and 60-degree temperature swings within 24 hours. The upside is our 15% average humidity. A 30-degree day feels like sweater weather, and 90 degrees is genuinely comfortable. If snow and icy sidewalks worry you, think it through carefully.
Why do retirees still love moving to Denver?
Active retirees pick Denver for four-season outdoor access, including ski resorts 80 miles west reachable in about 75 minutes off-peak.
If you're active, the lifestyle here is hard to beat. Hiking, biking, skiing, and golf are all right out your door. Breckenridge, A-Basin, Loveland, Winter Park, and Mary Jane are all roughly an hour and 15 minutes from central Denver when you're not stuck in Friday traffic. Trail access is a Denver metro priority. South of Highlands Ranch you have dozens of miles of trails. The foothills sit five minutes west of west-side neighborhoods. Parker, Aurora, and the north side all have trail networks within 5 to 10 minutes of most homes. The culture matches the outdoors. Red Rocks concerts, pro sports, a deep brewery scene, and food that keeps getting better. And family will visit. I've had clients tell me they moved here so the grandkids would come more often, and it actually worked. Skiing, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Great Sand Dunes give people a reason to book the flight.
Is Colorado tax-friendly for retirees?
Colorado allows retirees age 65 and older to subtract up to $24,000 of pension and retirement income from state taxable income.
Stacked against California, New York, or Illinois, Colorado treats retirement income reasonably well. Social Security benefits taxed federally can be subtracted from Colorado taxable income for retirees 65 and up. Our flat state income tax rate is relatively low compared to higher-tax states. Property tax rates are the third-lowest in the country by percentage, which helps offset our high home values. Where Colorado gets you is sales tax. Denver's combined state, city, and special district sales tax runs over 8% in most areas. That hits fixed-income retirees harder because more of your spending goes to taxable goods. If you're moving from a no-income-tax state like Florida or Texas, you'll feel the state income tax. If you're coming from California or New York, you'll feel relief. Run the numbers with a CPA before you commit to the move.
Video Chapters
Full Video Transcript
Full transcript from this video, organized by chapter. Click any timestamp to jump to that moment in the video.
Retirement in Denver Overview
[0:00] A lot of people dream about retiring in Denver. And in fact, it's increasingly becoming one of the most popular places to retire. I mean, the mountains, the seasons, the classic Colorado lifestyle, it all sounds pretty incredible, right? But here's the truth. Actually, retiring here or moving here to Denver for retirement comes with some pretty big realities that most people don't think about. So, that's what we're going to cover in this video. I'm going to break down why some retirees actually regret moving here. what you really need to watch out for and then we'll cover what makes Denver absolutely unbeatable for most people. And hey, if you're new here, my name is Alex Salana. I've been helping people buy and sell homes around the Denver metro area since 2010. I've seen it all. Downsizers, relocations, people moving here for a dream and sometimes moving out just a few years later. So, if you want to make sense of what's going on in our Denver market, just feel free, give me a call, shoot me a text message below. Be happy to help you out or scan this QR code, set up a time to chat with me. So, getting right into it, number one, the elephant in the room, cost of living. All right. First reason you might want to not think about moving to Denver to retire is just the cost, right? And I know that's not groundbreaking news, but hear me out.
Housing Costs and Taxes
[1:15] Housing here is expensive. And as of this year, the median home price in the entire Denver metro area is hovering in the mid600s. Now, that's down slightly from the crazy pandemic numbers of 2022, but it's still miles above most prices in the country. So, if you're coming here from somewhere like the Midwest or parts of the South where you're selling a house for say 3400,000, it can be a real sticker shock to step into a $600,000 plus home here. Now, it's not just the purchase price here, right?
[1:46] Property taxes in Colorado do look really good on paper. We are the third cheapest in the country for property tax rates, but home values here are pretty high, which if you're looking for a million-doll plus home, yeah, it's going to be around $5,000 a month, depending. But compared to a lot of places, it's really not that bad. But you have to take this into account for whatever you're looking for, especially if you're looking for a new build property. That's where you've specifically got to look for special taxing districts where a $5 $600,000 new build might be $8 to $10,000 in taxes in some areas. So, it's really something you want to be on the lookout for. Plus, we do have higher sales taxes, and we do have rising costs for things like groceries, insurance, utilities. Now, I know that that's most of the country, right? But it all adds up, and we're already expensive. So, if everywhere were to go up by 10%, because we're already expensive, that would actually mean more dollars on paper out of your pocket, right? I've watched plenty of retirees move here thinking that their nest egg would stretch really far only to feel squeezed once the bills actually start rolling in. Now, on to health care. Something that everybody, as we start aging, really thinks about.
Healthcare and Living Expenses
[3:00] Denver has phenomenal hospitals and specialists, some of the best in the world. You're going to get top tier care here, no doubt. But it isn't cheap, right? Premiums, out-of-pocket expenses tend to run higher than the national average, especially if you need regular specialist visits, prescriptions, procedures. It can catch you a little bit offguard. And that's one of those hidden costs here that rarely shows up in the glossy, you know, move to Colorado articles that you see out there. Now, let's talk about something that most people do overlook, and that's the lifestyle versus the reality. So, if you are picturing yourself living in a charming, walkable little Denver neighborhood where you can take a stroll to a cafe, a brewery, or grocery store, that definitely exists, but it comes with a serious premium. So, we're going to look at places like, let's say, Wash Park, Plat Park, the Highlands, Lowhigh.
Walkability and Urban Layout
[3:55] All these areas have these cute little charming downtown streets, a few blocks, restaurants, cafes, all that. But if you were to take a footprint of let's just take Plat Park and the median price might be in the 800s, right? In all of Plat Park, the closer you get to that downtown street, the more likely you're going to be in the mid1 million mark, right? So, if you want to be within a couple blocks to what you actually want for the most part, you're going to pay for it. There's no getting around it pretty much anywhere neighborhood in Denver. And most of Denver and certainly the surrounding suburbs are pretty car dependent, right? You're going to be driving a lot. And traffic here, well, it has gotten worse. In the last decade, Denver has exploded in populations, but our roads haven't exactly kept up as much. Now, I will say I have some perspective here being from Chicago. And if you're from a big city, LA, New York, Chicago, Houston, you you name it, right? You're going to have an idea of what traffic is. And people complain about the traffic here all the time. So, I will tell you this honestly. If I was leaving my house at 4:00 on a Friday, the worst traffic you could possibly experience here, if I had to go 30 miles across town, the other side of the Denver metro area, I would plan on it being a 45minut to an hour long ride.
Traffic and Transportation
[5:12] That's what it is. And if you're from a big city, you understand that that could be 2 to three hours at most other places. So, perspective here is needed. But if you're coming from a small town, yeah, you are going to be stuck in traffic even in the middle of the day, right? I just went and picked up my daughter from practice and yeah, I was in traffic on I25 at 10:30 in the morning, right? It does happen. So, if you're dreaming of a retirement where like you can barely use a car, Denver might not deliver that for you unless you're going to be paying top dollars to live in the areas like Wash Park, the Highlands, or Cherry Creek. All right, so let's talk about one of my favorite things here, the weather. Everyone does talk about how much sun Denver gets at about 300 days of sunshine. And yeah, that's technically true, but not many people tell you that the sunshine can still mean 10° and snow blowing sideways. And we really only have one to maybe two weeks of that to be fair throughout the year. Winters here are very unpredictable. Okay, one day it is 60° and the next it dumps a foot of snow. And if you're coming from somewhere with milder winters or if snow and icy sidewalks are a concern for you, it's really worth thinking through. I mean, one of my last clients to move here from Hawaii, right? We were closing in the middle of November and we had a snowstorm come in and they were a little bit blown away. I ended up picking them up because I knew they only had a front-wheel drive vehicle and they weren't ready for what we were about to get. And I'm glad that I did. and they just thought that this was more on the normal side. And I had to convince them.
Weather and Climate
[6:42] I had to look it up actually. It turned out to be the fifth largest snowstorm that we had ever gotten in any month period, let alone in November. And so, you just have to be prepared for it, right? Fall and spring, spring especially when we start getting some hail, it can be extremely unpredictable. 80° one day, 20° the next. I'm not exaggerating that. That is a real thing. But overall, 30° is still sweater weather. I love it. and 90° you can still go outside and do stuff because of how dry it is here with 15% humidity on average. Okay, so after all of that, why does so many people still actually love retiring here? Well, number one, the lifestyle is just incredible if you're active. Hiking, biking, skiing, golfing, it's all right here. And you've got the mountains less than an hour away, even if you're on the eastern side of town.
Outdoor Recreation Access
[7:32] If you're on the western side of town, it could be as little as 5 minutes away. We have worldclass resorts all around. Golf skiing especially is 80 miles to the west. And if you're retired, not working Monday through Friday, it's only going to take you about an hour and 15 minutes to get to Breenidge, a baso loveland, Winter Park, Mary Jane, you've got your pick of the litter to get there. And then trails, right? We have placed a high priority here in the Denver metro area for trail access. Just south of Highlands Ranch, you have dozens of miles of trails on the western side of town. You literally have the foothills right there. Northern side, eastern side, down all the way by Parker. Like there are trails everywhere around within 5 to 10 minutes of you, as well as all the biking trails that interweave throughout the city that go for dozens and dozens of miles as well.
[8:25] So, we really place this priority on our Colorado lifestyle. And two, Denver just has an incredible culture here. Okay, I'm a big believer in what you look for, you will find. And you will find your people here, right? Breweries, sports, concerts at Red Rocks. If you want your retirement to be more than just sitting at home, Denver is really tough to beat. Three, taxes actually aren't horrible when you start stacking them up to other incredible places to retire. California, New York, Illinois. Especially if you're on a fixed income, you might benefit from how Colorado treats retirement income. And last, and maybe the most important thing, and I get this question all the time, it's about family visiting Denver. And yes, your family will love to visit Denver. In reality, maybe you already have one kid here that's about to have grandkids, and that's part of the reason for moving here, but then you got families scattered around throughout the country, right? Denver is an incredible place to visit. There's so much to do between skiing being an hour and a half to the west, camping galore, national parks, right? Rocky Mountain, Estus Park, you've got the great sand dudes down to the southwest of us here in Denver, all within a few hours. And it's just one of these places that people do want an excuse to come to. And I've had clients tell me, you know, we moved here so the grandkids would visit more often. And you know what? It absolutely worked. But the bottom line is that Denver is not for every retiree.
Family and Lifestyle Considerations
[9:54] But if you value your lifestyle, if you value four distinct seasons and easy access to some of the best outdoor living in the country, it is unbeatable. And you know, if you are thinking about retiring here and want someone who will actually break it down, honestly, cost, neighborhood, even what you can expect to spend on snow tires. That's literally what I do all day, every day. just shoot me a message, got my phone number below, or scan this QR code and we can set up a time to chat. And you know, there are some places around Denver that are worth looking at that lots more people are flocking to, which is why I put this video together. And it's worth checking out to see if these are places that you should also consider or if the growth here should keep you
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median home price in Denver for 2025?
The Denver metro median home price hovers in the mid-$600,000s in 2025. That's slightly below the 2022 pandemic peak but still well above most U.S. retirement markets. Walkable inner neighborhoods like Wash Park and Platt Park push higher, often starting in the $800,000s.
How far is Denver from the ski resorts?
Major ski resorts including Breckenridge, A-Basin, Loveland, Winter Park, and Mary Jane sit roughly 80 miles west of Denver. Drive time runs about an hour and 15 minutes off-peak. Friday afternoons and Sunday returns can double that, which is why retired skiers love midweek access.
Are property taxes high in Colorado?
Colorado has the third-lowest property tax rate in the United States. However, high home values mean the actual bill can still feel large. A million-dollar home runs around $5,000 a year, and new builds inside special taxing districts can owe $8,000 to $10,000 annually.
Does Denver get a lot of snow?
Denver gets about 56 inches of snow per year on average, but it melts fast thanks to our 300 days of sunshine and low humidity. Storms can be intense and unpredictable. A 60-degree day followed by a foot of snow is normal, especially in spring.
Is Denver walkable for retirees who don't want to drive?
Most of Denver is car dependent. Truly walkable neighborhoods exist (Wash Park, Platt Park, the Highlands, LoHi, Cherry Creek), but homes within a few blocks of the walkable cores often cost $1 million or more. Suburbs require driving for almost everything.
What are the downsides of retiring in Denver?
The main downsides are high home prices, healthcare costs above the national average, car-dependent layouts outside a few neighborhoods, unpredictable winter weather, and worsening traffic. Retirees on tight fixed incomes often feel squeezed once monthly bills start arriving, even when their nest egg looked sufficient on paper.
Will my family actually visit if I retire in Denver?
Yes, more than most retirement destinations. Denver works as a vacation hub thanks to skiing, Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes, and easy direct flights to most major cities through DIA. Several of my clients moved here specifically so grandkids would visit more, and it worked.
Thinking about buying or selling in Denver?
Call or text (303) 552-4804 for a no-pressure conversation about your situation.
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