Cost of living comparison
compared to
Tucson vs. Denver Cost of Living Summary
Tucson is 10.3% cheaper than Denver.
Tucson vs. Denver Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Tucson instead of Denver, you would:
pay 0.2% more for restaurants
Denver | Tucson | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.00 | $19.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.00 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.92 | $2.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.20 | $2.40 | |
Denver vs. Tucson - Cost of restaurants
pay 15.7% less for groceries
Denver | Tucson | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.11 | $3.29 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.44 | $5.82 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.91 | $3.23 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.37 | $4.35 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.32 | $5.64 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.43 | $2.08 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.89 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.36 | $1.75 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.57 | $1.79 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.30 | $1.12 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.20 | $1.24 | |
Denver vs. Tucson - Cost of groceries
pay 5.0% less for transportation
Denver | Tucson | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.34 | $3.40 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $88.00 | ?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $34,514.56 | $36,113.30 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.42 | $13.69 | |
Denver vs. Tucson - Cost of transportation
pay 1.6% more for housing
Denver | Tucson | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $64.18 | $83.95 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,128.00 | $1,258.25 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,704.17 | $1,134.62 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $131.92 | $197.85 | |
Denver vs. Tucson - Cost of housing
pay 17.0% less for childcare
Denver | Tucson | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,571.72 | $1,091.67 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $16,168.00 | $15,605.00 | |
Denver vs. Tucson - Cost of childcare
pay 17.6% less for entertainment and sports
Denver | Tucson | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $6.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.51 | $5.38 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.00 | $9.22 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $69.09 | $40.08 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $15.00 | $13.00 | |
Denver vs. Tucson - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.3% less for clothing
Denver | Tucson | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $64.26 | $47.22 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $47.78 | $41.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $103.45 | $87.50 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $134.58 | $111.67 | |
Denver vs. Tucson - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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