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CityLedger

Denver vs Providence

Metro-area medians — Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area vs Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Denver comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Providence is about 4% cheaper to live in, while Denver households earn about 30% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Denver.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Denver, CO
$58,707
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$55,498
real value after local prices
Providence, RI
$58,910
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$57,883
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Providence leaves you about $2,386/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Denver
Providence
Livability (CityLedger)
83/100
52/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
105.8
101.8
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$102,140
$81,426
Median household income
$108,046
$82,870
Median rent
$1,943/mo
$1,396/mo
Median home value
$631,000
$471,000
Unemployment
4.2%
4.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
51.6%
36.5%
Average commute
27.7 min
27.9 min
Air quality (median AQI)
64
42
Avg temperature
50°F
52°F

Choose Denver for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Denver profile →

Choose Providence for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Providence profile →

Denver vs Providence — frequently asked

Is Denver cheaper than Providence?
Providence is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below Denver's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Denver or Providence?
Denver has the higher median household income — $108,046 versus $82,870 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 30% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Denver or Providence?
A paycheck stretches further in Denver. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $102,140 there versus $81,426 in Providence.
Which has cheaper rent, Denver or Providence?
Providence has cheaper rent — a median of $1,396/mo versus $1,943/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).