City comparison
Colorado Springs, CO is about 60 miles (100 km) from Denver, CO in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 80 miles, or about 1 h 15 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Colorado Springs, CO to Denver, CO takes about 7 min, covering roughly 60 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Denver has a population of 710,800, vs 479,612 in Colorado Springs — about 1.5× larger by population. By land area, Colorado Springs covers about 200 sq mi vs 155 sq mi for Denver.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Colorado Springs | Denver | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,464/mo | $1,665/mo | 13.7% higher in Denver |
| Median home value | $383,000 | $540,400 | 41.1% higher in Denver |
| Median household income | $79,026 | $85,853 | 8.6% higher in Denver |
| Groceries index | 96.8 | 101.2 | 4.6% higher in Denver |
| Utilities index | 87.0 | 91.2 | 4.9% higher in Denver |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 99.9 | ≈ equal (Colorado Springs slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 99.9 | ≈ equal (Colorado Springs slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Colorado Springs, you'd need $112,776 in Denver to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Colorado Springs, CO is about 11.3% cheaper overall than Denver, CO, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 25% higher in Denver than in Colorado Springs. If you earn $80,000 in Colorado Springs, you'd need about $90,221 in Denver to keep the same standard of living.