🇺🇸 North America

FIRE Number for Denver, United States

Name: Denver, United States
Address: Denver, United States

United States

Mile-High Mountain Living, Craft Beer Culture, and 300 Days of Sunshine

FIRE Score Based on safety, healthcare, infrastructure & expat friendliness

Denver sits at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, offering FIRE retirees an unmatched combination of outdoor adventure, urban culture, and over 300 days of sunshine per year. The city has evolved far beyond its frontier roots into a sophisticated metro with a thriving craft beer scene, excellent farm-to-table dining, and world-class skiing just 90 minutes away. Housing costs have climbed significantly in recent years but remain well below coastal cities, and Colorado's flat state income tax keeps the overall tax burden moderate. For anyone who values hiking, biking, skiing, and an active lifestyle, Denver is hard to beat.

Lean FIRE, FIRE, and Fat FIRE for Denver

Needed to retire here is the portfolio that, in a historical backtest, would have lasted your retirement at your chosen confidence and length. Status is the verdict for your portfolio. The 4% rule benchmark is shown underneath each figure for reference only. Cost estimates are for a one-person household — adjust household size below.

Household size

Costs scale by category, not a flat multiple — housing is largely shared; food and healthcare scale per person.

Use my own healthcare cost

Lifestyle	Needed to retire here	Monthly Cost
Lean FIRE	$864K	$2,880/mo
FIRE	$1.56M	$5,200/mo
Fat FIRE	$5.54M	$18,480/mo

Cost data: Q3 2026 · High confidence

Cost of Living Breakdown for Denver

Cost and FIRE figures are for a one-person household — adjust household size in the controls above.Showing costs for 2 adults.

Lean FIRE Lifestyle

$864K

A cheapest-acceptable studio or small one-bedroom in an outer neighborhood like Montbello or Aurora, where housing plus the car eat more than half the budget. The ACA Silver premium stays affordable only if annual income is kept under the 2026 ~$62,600 subsidy cutoff — Colorado's Option plans and reinsurance help hold sticker prices down. The upside is Denver's signature asset: hundreds of free Front Range trails. Ski days are a stretch at this tier, but hiking and biking run most of the year.

FIRE Lifestyle

$1.56M

A high-quality place in LoDo, the Highlands, or near Wash Park, regular dinners at the city's best tables, an Ikon Pass for Copper and Winter Park, and Broncos season tickets. A late-model SUV handles mountain trips year-round, and healthcare is a padded Gold plan near the ~$62,600 ACA subsidy cutoff. Denver's moderate cost of living versus the coasts means this budget stretches into a genuinely affluent life.

Fat FIRE Lifestyle

$5.54M

A Cherry Hills Village estate or a prime-district penthouse with mountain views, housekeeping and grounds help several days a week, and occasional private-chef evenings alongside the city's best restaurants. Dining is anywhere, travel is first class, and premium club-level Broncos season tickets come with the territory, alongside major support for the city's arts and hospitals. A second home in Aspen or Vail is feasible; the blend of urban amenities and immediate Rocky Mountain access defines the life at roughly $222k a year.

Retirement Confidence

The 4% rule is a great starting point. Here we go a step further and test your plan against real market history.

Enter your portfolio on the homepage to backtest a retirement in Denver against market history.

How this is calculated

This is a real historical backtest. We run your plan through every retirement-length window in US market history (1871–2022): a 75% stock / 25% bond portfolio, rebalanced annually, with withdrawals raised each year for that period's actual inflation. The success rate is the share of those historical start years in which the money lasted the full length without running out.

Your confidence level sets the bar: at Balanced (90%), a survival rate of 90% or more reads "You can retire here", within 10 points below is "Close - worth a closer look", and lower is "Not quite yet". The same level sizes the "Needed to retire here" target. Retirement length also drives it - early retirees planning 40–50+ years see lower survival than the 30-year baseline.

Healthcare, Visa & City Overview

climate Four seasons

healthcare Excellent

english Widely spoken

safety Exercise caution

visa Easy

Timezone

MST (UTC-7)

Currency

USD

Language

English

Avg. Temperature

51°F / 11°C

Internet

200+ Mbps average

Airport

Denver International Airport (DEN)

Frequently Asked Questions About Retiring in Denver

What is the FIRE Number for Denver, United States?

The FIRE Number for Denver ranges from $864K (Lean FIRE lifestyle) to $5.54M (Fat FIRE lifestyle). A FIRE retirement requires a portfolio of approximately $1.56M, based on estimated monthly costs of $5,200 and a 4% safe withdrawal rate.

How much does it cost to retire in Denver?

Monthly living costs in Denver range from $2,880 (Lean FIRE) to $5,200 (FIRE), covering housing (market rent), dining, groceries, healthcare, transportation, entertainment, and utilities.

What is healthcare like in Denver for retirees?

Healthcare in Denver costs approximately $480 to $650/month depending on coverage level. Typical coverage at the Lean FIRE budget: A subsidized Silver plan through Connect for Health Colorado, assuming annual income stays under the 2026 subsidy cutoff of about $62,600; Colorado's state programs help hold premiums down. Priced for an early retiree aged 45-55; older retirees should budget more.

What is the weather like in Denver?

Continental semi-arid with cold, dry winters and warm summers. The average temperature is 51°F / 11°C.

How safe is Denver for retirees?

Retirees should exercise normal caution in Denver, scoring 5 out of 10 in our safety ratings.