Denver / Budget guide

What renting in Denver really costs each month

By Homzora Team · September 26, 2026

Colorado has rewritten much of its rental law since 2021, adding limits on deposits, pet charges, late fees and application fees, and new rules on how often rent can rise. Those changes shape a Denver budget as much as the rent itself. This guide builds a full monthly budget for a Denver rental, with a source for every rule and figure.

Where Denver rents stand

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimates median gross rent in the city of Denver at $1,831 for 2020 to 2024.^[1] Gross rent includes estimated utility costs paid by the renter, so it is closer to the full cost of housing than an advertised rent. The same survey estimates median household income in the city at $94,718 and an owner occupancy rate of 48.8 percent, which means a little more than half of Denver households rent.^[1]

Treat the median as background rather than a quote. It blends five years of responses across every kind of rental, from older apartments to new buildings leasing at market rates, so current asking rents for vacant units are often higher. Build your budget from written quotes for the homes you are considering. The Denver data page explains the figures Homzora publishes and the periods they cover.

How often, and how much, rent can rise

Colorado prohibits counties and cities from enacting any ordinance that would control rent^[2], so there is no percentage cap on increases in Denver. Colorado does limit how often rent can rise: a landlord may increase rent no more than once in any 12 month period of consecutive occupancy, whatever kind of lease you have.^[3] For a tenancy without a written agreement, the landlord must give at least 60 days' written notice of an increase, and may not end a month to month tenancy mainly to get around that rule.^[4]

Plan for renewal accordingly. You will not face a surprise second increase in the same year, but the size of the next one is not limited. A longer lease fixes the rent for its term, so ask about lease lengths and read the renewal terms before you sign.

Move in money: Colorado's limits

Colorado limits security deposits to no more than two months' rent, a rule that took effect on August 7, 2023.^[5] Pet charges are limited too. A pet security deposit may not exceed $300 and must be refundable, and monthly pet rent may not exceed the greater of $35 or 1.5 percent of the monthly rent.^[6]

Application fees are limited to the landlord's actual or average cost of screening, every applicant must be charged the same fee, and unused fees must be returned. If you provide a portable tenant screening report, the landlord may not charge you an application fee at all.^[7] Landlords must accept portable screening reports that are no more than 30 days old.^[8] A portable report can save a real amount of money if you apply to several homes.

Getting the deposit back

A landlord must return the deposit, or a written statement of the exact reasons for keeping any part of it, within 30 days after the lease ends or you surrender the home, whichever is later. A lease may extend that period, but not beyond 60 days. For tenancies ending on or after January 1, 2026, the statement must include documentation, such as photographs, inspection forms, receipts or invoices. A landlord that willfully keeps a deposit wrongfully can owe three times the amount withheld, plus attorney fees and court costs, if you give at least seven days' notice before filing suit.^[9]

Colorado strengthened these protections from January 1, 2026, with a broader definition of normal wear and tear, a right to a walk through inspection on request, and limits on deductions for carpet and paint.^[10] Our evidence guide explains the records that protect your refund.

Late fees and other charges

Colorado does not allow a late fee until rent is at least seven calendar days late, and the fee may not exceed the greater of $50 or 5 percent of the past due rent. The fee must be stated in the lease, and a landlord may not evict you only for unpaid late fees.^[11] Set up automatic payments or reminders so a busy week never becomes a fee.

Newer rules also address monthly fees. Under a 2025 law, a lease may not describe any charge other than the monthly charge for occupying the home as rent, and markups on third party utility and service bills are capped at 2 percent or $10 a month.^[12][13] Ask for a written list of every recurring charge, add them to the rent and compare homes on the total.

Utilities

Xcel Energy, through its subsidiary Public Service Company of Colorado, is the regulated electric and natural gas provider in Denver.^[14] Denver Water serves about 1.5 million people in Denver and many surrounding suburbs.^[15] Ask each landlord which utilities are included, which accounts will be in your name, and what the bills have been in January and July, since Denver's cold winters can make heating a larger cost than cooling.

Cooling is still worth asking about. Denver's housing code does not require landlords to provide air conditioning, although air conditioning a landlord supplies must be safe and working.^[16] Colorado law generally does not allow a landlord to ban portable cooling devices, unless installing one would violate building codes, damage the property or exceed the electrical capacity.^[17][18] If a home has no air conditioning, budget for a portable unit and the electricity to run it.

Getting around: RTD fares

RTD's local fare is $2.75 for a three hour pass, $5.50 for a day pass and $88 for a monthly pass. Travel to the airport costs $10 for a day pass. Discount fares are $1.35 for three hours, $2.70 for a day and $27 for a month, and discount fares and monthly passes include airport travel. Riders aged 19 and under ride free.^[19] RTD's LiVE program gives riders aged 20 and older with household income at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level a 50 percent discount; you apply through the state's PEAK benefits website.^[20]

For a regular commuter, compare the $88 monthly pass with paying per trip and with driving, including parking at work. If you will drive, add fuel, insurance, maintenance and winter tires or chains if you travel into the mountains.

Winter and the full year

Denver budgets swing with the seasons in a way that coastal budgets do not. Heating bills rise in the coldest months, and a home with drafty windows, electric baseboard heat or poor insulation can cost far more to heat than a similar home that is well sealed. Ask whether heat is included in the rent, whether the home uses gas or electric heat, and what the bills were last January. If you drive, budget for winter tires, windshield repairs after hail or gravel, and a place to park out of the snow. Spreading these costs across twelve months, rather than treating them as surprises, keeps a winter from upsetting the whole year's budget.

Insurance

Renters insurance covers personal property, additional living expenses if you must leave your home, and liability, and the Colorado Division of Insurance recommends keeping a home inventory.^[21] Hail is a common cause of damage in Colorado, and flood insurance normally has a 30 day waiting period before it takes effect.^[22] Ask whether your policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value, and note the deductible.

A sample month, built the careful way

Start with the rent written in the lease. Add the heating and electricity estimate for your most expensive month, then water, sewer and trash if billed separately, any pet rent, internet, an RTD pass or car costs, and your insurance premiums divided by twelve. Finally, set aside money each month toward the next renewal. Colorado limits increases to once a year^[3], but it does not limit their size, so a household that saves ahead is better placed to decide whether to stay or move.

Questions to ask before you sign

What is the total move in cost, and what is each charge for?
Will you accept my portable screening report instead of an application fee?
Which utilities are included, and what were last January's and July's bills?
Does the home have air conditioning, and may I use a portable unit?
What pet deposit and pet rent apply, and are they within Colorado's limits?
What recurring fees are charged beyond the rent?

If a landlord cannot answer, mark the item as unknown rather than assuming the best case.

Stress test the budget

Add your highest expected utility bills, transportation and insurance to the rent, and compare the total with your take home pay. Then look ahead a year and test what happens if the rent rises by a meaningful amount at renewal. Consider the cost of moving too: first month's rent, a deposit of up to two months' rent^[5] and movers can add up to three months of housing costs or more at once, so a slightly cheaper home may not be worth a move if the savings take years to recover.

Your completion record

Rent and lease length
Deposit within the legal limit
Application fee or portable report
Pet deposit and pet rent
Recurring fees listed in writing
Utility bills for winter and summer
RTD pass or car costs
Renters insurance

Keep this record with the quotes behind it. Use the calculators to test your figures and the area shortlist to compare neighborhoods.

Sources and official resources

Use the planning tools · All Denver guides