Denver
United States · North America · 715K people
Mile-high city with easy mountain access and a sunny, dry climate.
Ranked #94 of 303 overall · 39.74, -104.99
Overview
Denver, United States, is home to about 715,000 residents and has built a reputation that goes beyond its size. It has a reputation as a solid, practical choice for raising a family. It has become a go-to base for remote workers over the past few years. People who choose to settle in Denver tend to point to a strong sense of safety, a climate most people find easy to live with, and solid infrastructure for remote work as the deciding factors. Within the 48 cities we track in North America, the regional average sits at 6.3/10, which puts Denver's 6.9/10 comfortably ahead of the regional norm. On CityMatch, Denver scores 6.9/10 overall across cost of living, safety, environment, transport, climate, healthcare and internet, ranking #94 of 303 cities in our database. Its strongest single criterion is internet & connectivity at 9/10, while cost of living is its softest spot at 5/10 — the full breakdown, honest trade-offs, and who this city actually suits are below.
Full scorecard
Costs add up faster than average.
Generally safe with normal precautions.
Air quality is acceptable most of the year.
A car helps for anything off the main routes.
A normal seasonal mix, nothing extreme.
Reliable access to quality care.
Remote work is a non-issue here.
Is Denver right for you?
Set your own priorities and see where it ranks against every city in the dataset.
Run the recommender →How are these scores calculated?
Every city on CityMatch is scored 1-10 on seven criteria — cost of living, safety, environment, transport, climate, healthcare and internet — and those seven numbers are combined into the overall score shown throughout the site using a consistent, automated formula (an equal-weighted average by default, or your own weighting via the recommender tool). The same method is applied identically to every city, so scores are comparable across the full database.
Sources & data provenance
The current dataset is an internally curated starter dataset built for this version of the site, reflecting each city's general reputation on each criterion rather than a live feed from a single external provider. It is not yet sourced from a specific third-party API. If that changes, this section will be updated to name the exact sources in use.
Last updated: 17 July 2026
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
Internet and connectivity score 9/10, making remote work a non-issue rather than a workaround.
Healthcare scores 8/10, a meaningful factor for families, retirees, or anyone planning to stay long-term.
A 7/10 safety score puts Denver among the more reassuring cities to walk around, day or night.
Trade-offs
Cost of living is the toughest line item, at 5/10 — budget accordingly, especially on rent.
Transport is the soft spot at 5/10 — plan on a car or regular rideshares rather than relying on public transit alone.
Is Denver safe?
At 7/10, safety in Denver is unremarkable in a good way: no particular risk stands out, but it's not a standout strength either.
At night
Nighttime is fine in most central areas, but it's worth checking which neighborhoods quiet down early versus stay lively and populated.
For tourists
Tourists are generally fine sticking to well-trodden areas; the usual advice about watching belongings in crowds and transit hubs applies.
For families
Safety, healthcare (8/10) and environment (7/10) together suggest a reasonable, if not exceptional, environment for families.
For solo travelers
Solo travel here is broadly fine with standard precautions; it's worth reading recent, specific traveler reports rather than relying on the city's reputation alone.
On public transport
Transport is reasonably safe day-to-day; late-night service quality and crowd levels are worth checking if you'll rely on it after dark.
Practical tips
- →Stick to well-lit, populated streets after dark, as you would in most cities.
- →Keep valuables out of sight rather than out of caution about any specific threat.
What's the climate like in Denver?
Denver scores 7/10 on climate — pleasant enough for most of the year, without being a specific draw on its own.
Seasonal character
Expect a normal four-season rhythm (or a wet/dry split closer to the equator), without extremes dominating the calendar.
Comfort level
Comfort is generally good, with the odd day or short stretch that calls for planning ahead rather than year-round ease.
Best time to live here
Shoulder-season months (spring and autumn, broadly) tend to be the safest bet if you can choose when to visit or move.
Note: this reflects our single aggregate 1-10 climate score rather than month-by-month temperature, humidity or rainfall data, which we don't currently track — treat it as a general read rather than a forecast.
Quality of life in Denver
Put together, quality of life in Denver is shaped less by any single number and more by the combination: denver tends to run at a calmer, more settled pace, the kind of rhythm that suits routine and family life more than nightlife, paired with an outdoor/environment picture that's generally favorable and transport that's worth planning around.
Pace & lifestyle
Denver tends to run at a calmer, more settled pace, the kind of rhythm that suits routine and family life more than nightlife.
Nature & outdoors
Outdoor time is reasonably pleasant, with environment (7/10) and climate (7/10) scores that don't get in the way, without being a specific draw either.
Getting around
Transport (5/10) has real gaps — plan on a mix of public options, walking and rideshares depending on where you end up living.
Culture & leisure
Denver isn't specifically marketed on culture or nightlife in our data, which usually means a more everyday, less tourist-oriented pace of life — good for routine, less exciting for a short visit.
Based on its actual score profile, Denver tends to suit people who prioritize internet & connectivity and healthcare over cost of living — see "Who Denver suits" above for the specific profiles that fit best.
How clean is Denver?
Denver scores 7/10 on environment — decent air quality most of the year, without being a specific standout.
Public spaces
Public space quality isn't separately measured in our data; the environment score above is the closest proxy we have, and it points to an unremarkable, workable baseline.
Infrastructure maintenance
General infrastructure maintenance isn't a criterion we score independently, so treat any specific claims about road quality, public bins, or graffiti with caution unless they come from a recent, first-hand source.
The "environment" score behind all of this is CityMatch's single combined measure of air quality and general environmental conditions — 10 meaning consistently clean air, 1 meaning significant pollution. It doesn't separately break out waste management, noise, or visual upkeep, which aren't part of our current dataset.
Who Denver suits
Expat
Expats — expatriates relocating for work who lean on safety, healthcare and internet to stay settled and connected (fit score 7.1/10 here).
Safety-first mover
Safety-first movers — people relocating somewhere unfamiliar who weigh personal safety above all (fit score 7.0/10 here).
Digital nomad
Digital nomads — remote workers who need fast internet and an affordable, pleasant base (fit score 6.9/10 here).
Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs — founders and small business owners who need reliable connectivity and a livable base without big-city costs (fit score 6.9/10 here).
In depth
Cost of living
Affordability is a real consideration here: Denver scores 5/10 on cost of living, meaning a comfortable lifestyle requires a proper budget.
Safety
Denver scores 7/10 on safety — generally fine, with the usual big-city precautions rather than any particular red flag.
Climate
Denver's climate scores 7/10 — a decent mix of seasons without extremes in either direction.
Quality of life
Denver scores 6.9/10 overall, but that average hides a real spread: internet & connectivity (9/10) is genuinely strong, while cost of living (5/10) pulls the picture down considerably. The average across all seven criteria is 6.9/10.
Transport
Getting around Denver takes some planning: transport scores 5/10, and a car or rideshare budget is worth factoring in for anything off the main routes.
Internet & remote work
Remote work is well supported here: Denver scores 9/10 on internet and connectivity, with fast, reliable connections in most neighborhoods and an established remote-work community to match.
Why choose Denver?
Denver makes the most sense if internet & connectivity matters more to you than cost of living — at 6.9/10 overall, it's a solid rather than perfect pick, and the trade-offs above are worth weighing against your own priorities rather than the headline score alone.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Denver safe?
Denver scores 7/10 on safety — generally fine, with the usual precautions you'd take in any mid-sized city.
What budget do I need to live in Denver?
Denver scores 5/10 on affordability, on the pricier side of our database. Plan a proper budget, particularly for rent.
Is Denver good for families?
Denver works well for families: safety (7/10), healthcare (8/10) and environment (7/10) average out to a strong combination for raising kids.
Is Denver a good city for students?
Denver isn't an obvious student pick: affordability (5/10) and transport (5/10) average out lower than the cities we specifically tag for students.
Is Denver suitable for digital nomads?
Yes — Denver is one of our tagged digital-nomad destinations, with an internet score of 9/10 and a cost-of-living score of 5/10 to match.
What's the climate like in Denver?
Denver scores 7/10 on climate — a normal seasonal mix without real extremes.
Is Denver pleasant to live in year-round?
Largely yes — with a climate score of 7/10 and an environment (air quality) score of 7/10, Denver holds up well across seasons.
Is Denver a good choice for a first move abroad?
It's a reasonable choice for a first move: safety, healthcare, transport and environment average out to 6.8/10 here, a fairly forgiving combination for someone settling in for the first time.
Is the internet good enough for remote work in Denver?
Yes — Denver scores 9/10 on internet and connectivity, comfortably enough for video calls and day-to-day remote work.
Is Denver a good place to retire?
It has real appeal for retirees: healthcare, climate and safety average out to 7.3/10 here — the three criteria that tend to matter most for that stage of life.
What are good alternatives to Denver?
Based on continent, tags and overall score, Salt Lake City and Charlotte are the closest matches to Denver in our database — worth comparing directly if you're still deciding.
Is Denver worth living in?
Reasonably — Denver scores 6.9/10 overall, a solid if unremarkable all-round profile. Whether it's "worth it" depends more on which specific criteria matter most to you than on the average alone.
Who should move to Denver?
Based on its score profile, Denver suits people who value internet & connectivity and healthcare more than the average mover — see the "Who Denver suits" section above for the specific profiles (families, digital nomads, students, etc.) that fit best.
Is Denver walkable, and is public transport good?
Not especially — Denver scores just 5/10 on transport, so expect to lean on a car, bike or rideshares more than public transit alone.
What's the biggest advantage of living in Denver?
Internet & connectivity is Denver's standout strength, scoring 9/10 — the highest of its seven criteria on CityMatch.
What's the biggest downside of living in Denver?
Cost of living is the clearest trade-off, scoring just 5/10 — the lowest of Denver's seven criteria, and worth weighing against its strengths.