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Denver County, CO

Rent vs Own in Denver County, Colorado

HUD prices a 2-bedroom in Denver County at $2,089/mo while the ownership stack lands near $3,524/mo. That mid-sized gap is large enough that rate or down-payment tweaks usually cannot close it alone. Owner-occupied homes: 163,555.

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Renting is cheaper in Denver County

A 2-bedroom rental here runs $2,089/mo, meaningfully below the $3,524/mo ownership stack on the default assumptions. That is a $1,435/mo difference.

Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Denver County

Primary driver

The purchase price is the larger hurdle

Median household income is $94,718, so the 6.5x home-price-to-income ratio is the binding constraint here, even before the 2.9% of income that goes to property tax. Buyers in this band usually need a larger down payment or a longer commute to a cheaper ZIP before the monthly ownership math clears.

Decision signal 2

Renting wins by a mid-sized monthly gap

Denver County lists a $616,000 median home with $2,751/yr property tax (0.45%). HUD's $2,089/mo 2-bedroom rent undercuts the ~$3,524/mo ownership stack by a mid-range margin of about $1,435/mo. Closing that gap usually takes more than a cosmetic rate tweak, price, tax load, or both.

Decision signal 3

HUD moved the rent benchmark down

HUD cut its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Denver County from $2,140/mo in FY2025 to $2,089/mo in FY2026: it decreased by $51/mo (-2.4%). A falling benchmark narrows the case for buying here, and it usually reflects HUD re-estimating the local market rather than existing rents being cut.

Decision signal 4

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Denver County ranks 35 of 64 Colorado counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 29 other Colorado counties on this measure.

Methodology & disclaimer

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Property tax figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and rent figures come from HUD Fair Market Rents; both describe area medians, not individual transactions. Insurance is estimated at 0.35% of home value annually and closing costs, maintenance, HOA, and PMI are not included. Consult a licensed mortgage, tax, or real-estate professional before making a buy-or-rent decision based on these numbers.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$3,524
Mortgage (P&I) $3,115
Property Tax $229
Insurance (est.) $180
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$2,089
Studio$1,643
1-Bedroom$1,754
2-Bedroom$2,089
3-Bedroom$2,734
4-Bedroom$3,049

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$94,718
$7,893/mo
Home Price / Income
6.5x
Expensive (>5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
2.9%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

Even with the loan gone, the largest group of Denver County owners still owes $3,000 or more every year - a recurring holding cost of a few hundred dollars a month, which is why "paid off" understates the real cost of keeping property here.

Unusually for Denver County, returns above $200,000 form the single largest block claiming it, a concentration only a minority of US counties show and a marker of high property values.

With ownership already mid-range more expensive than rent month-to-month, that annual bill reinforces why cash-flow renters stay put unless they are deliberately buying for tenure rather than monthly savings.

Bill bands are Census ACS counts of owner-occupied homes without a mortgage. Income brackets are IRS Statistics of Income county data for tax year 2022, counted over FILERS reporting real-estate taxes on Schedule A, which is a smaller group than homeowners: most filers take the standard deduction.

Nearby Counties

El Paso County
Home: $461,000 Tax: $1,874/yr
Jefferson County
Home: $637,600 Tax: $3,082/yr
Arapahoe County
Home: $561,200 Tax: $2,938/yr
Adams County
Home: $484,200 Tax: $2,962/yr
Douglas County
Home: $713,600 Tax: $3,947/yr
Larimer County
Home: $569,100 Tax: $2,832/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Denver County, Colorado? ▼
Renting the HUD 2-bedroom is the clearer monthly path in Denver County by roughly $1,435/mo under default loan assumptions. Closing a gap this size usually needs a meaningfully lower price or rate, not a cosmetic tweak.
What is the average rent in Denver County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $2,089/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $1,406/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
How much house can you afford in Denver County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $94,718 household here can afford up to $284,154 -- about $331,846 short of this county's $616,000 median home. That gap is typically closed with a larger down payment, dual incomes, or a longer search outside the median price band.
What is the median home price in Denver County? ▼
$616,000, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. The property tax on that value works out to roughly 0.45% a year, in line with typical rates for the area.
Is rent going up or down in Denver County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has fallen 2.4% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Denver County compare to other Colorado counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 64 Colorado counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Denver County lands at spot 35, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/colorado">Colorado state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPropertyTax

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025

Verify with HUD →