Metro Denver Living Costs Lower Than In California, But Not A Bargain

It may not feel like it, but the average paycheck still stretches further in metro Denver than it does in the majority of Western cities, according to a new study from moving and storage firm Trove. But Colorado remains hard-pressed to match Texas when it comes to giving workers the biggest bang for the buck. “What we really wanted to ask was, after critical expenses, how much does the average wage earner take home,” said Michael Pao, CEO of Trove, which is based in San Francisco. Trove looked at the average wage across various metro areas and deducted taxes and basic living costs such as housing, transportation, groceries and health care to determine the amount of discretionary income left. Metro Denver ranked in the 41st percentile among the 100 large metro areas studied for discretionary income, or just under the middle of the pack.