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Denver's median home now sells for around $634,000, well above the Colorado median of roughly $563,000, and the average renter in the city pays close to $1,910 a month. Colorado is now the 4th most expensive state in the U.S., and Denver is feeling that pressure directly: the city's population actually shrank slightly in 2025 even as its outlying suburbs grew, with the cost of living cited as one reason alongside a preference for more space. For a full breakdown of what things cost in the city itself, see our Denver cost of living guide.
So what is the most affordable Denver suburb? Based on current Redfin and RentCafe data, Aurora and Northglenn are effectively tied as the two most affordable cities on this list. Both run about 27% below Denver's median home price and 13% below its average rent. Aurora offers greater scale and a larger job market, while Northglenn adds a direct commuter rail line to downtown. Either way, buyers and renters can expect a real discount over Denver.
Prefer to stay in the city instead? Our guide to Denver's neighborhoods compares cost of living area by area. But if moving to Denver has you weighing the affordable suburbs of Denver, here are nine affordable cities within commuting distance. Some are small cities, like Federal Heights and Northglenn. Others, like Aurora, rank among Colorado's largest. None of them are Colorado's classic ski towns, but they're real commuter cities with generally lower home prices, lower property taxes, and less violent crime than Denver itself.
Affordable Denver Suburbs at a Glance
Suburb
Median home price
Average rent
Miles to downtown Denver
Best for
Federal Heights, CO
Not reliably comparable
$1,421
~10
Renters
Aurora, CO
$464,000
$1,661
~10
Buyers & renters
Northglenn, CO
$461,000
$1,659
~11
Commuters
Commerce City, CO
$495,000
$1,819
~7
Outdoor lovers
Brighton, CO
$510,000
$1,952
~20
Buyers
Thornton, CO
$525,000
$1,864
~11
Families
Westminster, CO
$550,000
$1,890
~9
Families
Lakewood, CO
$570,000
$1,790
~8
Established suburb living
Englewood, CO
$585,000
$1,895
~7
Commuters
Denver benchmark: $634,000 median home price, $1,910 average rent (Redfin/RentCafe, 2026).
Federal Heights, CO – The Cheapest Place to Rent Near Denver
Federal Heights' clearest case for affordability is rent, which runs about 26% below Denver's average, the single biggest discount on this list. There's no reliable median home price to report alongside it: Redfin's own figures for the city have ranged from roughly $22,000 to over $500,000 depending on the snapshot, and current listings show why. Federal Heights actually has more housing options than most cities on this list, a genuine mix of manufactured homes, condos, and traditional single-family houses, but that same variety makes a single "median" figure hard to pin down and not really comparable to the rest of the list.
Federal Heights is genuinely small, at under two square miles, and it's wedged tightly between Westminster, Northglenn, and Thornton, which keeps residents close to bigger shopping and job centers even though the city itself stays quiet and mostly residential. Another big draw is Water World, one of the largest water parks in the country, run by the Hyland Hills Park and Recreation District right in town.
Aurora, CO – One of the Most Affordable Denver Suburbs for Buyers and Renters
Aurora is Colorado's third-largest city, and it's one of the most consistently affordable Denver suburbs on this list, running neck and neck with Northglenn. Its median home price sits about 27% below Denver's, and its average rent is about 13% below. The violent crime rate is close enough to Denver's that we wouldn’t call it safer, but the draw is straightforward affordability at scale.
Southeast Aurora falls within the well-regarded Cherry Creek School District, and the city is home to major employers, including the Anschutz Medical Campus, one of the metro's largest job centers. Much of Aurora is also closer to Denver International Airport than Denver. For everyday life, Aurora has six municipal golf courses plus the Stanley Marketplace food-and-retail hub and Southlands Town Center, the metro area's largest outdoor shopping center.
Northglenn, CO – An Affordable Denver Suburb with Commuter Rail Access
Northglenn's median home price runs about 27% below Denver's, and its average rent about 13% below Denver's. Unlike some of its neighbors, it has a direct line downtown: the RTD N Line stops at Northglenn/112th Station and connects directly to Union Station with no transfer required. The city's violent crime rate is well below Denver's, though it sits a shade above the national average. E.B. Rains Jr. Memorial Park anchors the city's recreation scene, with sports fields, a lake, and an amphitheater that hosts community events through the summer.
Commerce City, CO – An Affordable Denver Suburb for Outdoor Lovers
Commerce City's median home price is about 22% below Denver's. Its biggest draw isn't a number, though: the 15,000-acre Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge sits inside city limits, a former Army chemical weapons site now home to a bison range and bird sanctuary. It has 20 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and other outdoor recreation, and is free to visit. The city is genuinely two communities in one: an older core near the refinery corridor and newer, master-planned neighborhoods like Reunion and The Villages at Buffalo Run that have drawn families priced out of Denver and its inner suburbs.
Brighton, CO – A Cheap Denver Suburb with Small-Town Feel and Newer Homes
Brighton works better for many buyers than for renters: its median home price runs about 20% below Denver's, but average rent here is actually above Denver's, largely because much of the apartment stock is newer construction. As the Adams County seat, Brighton keeps a genuinely small-town core: a historic Main Street, the Armory Performing Arts Center, and an agricultural heritage that still shows up in the surrounding farmland. Just north of town, Barr Lake State Park offers an 8.8-mile trail loop and some of the state's best birdwatching, including nesting bald eagles.
Thornton, CO – One of the Safest and Most Affordable Denver Suburbs for Families
Thornton, Colorado's sixth-largest city, carries the best safety numbers on this list by a wide margin: its violent crime rate beats Denver, the Colorado average, and the national average all at once, which is why Thornton earns the safest Denver suburbs label more than any other city on this list. That combination of low crime and a home price about 17% below Denver's also makes Thornton a strong answer to the question of the cheapest and safest place to live in Colorado. The RTD N Line runs directly through town with three stops, and the Carpenter Recreation Center gives families a well-used hub for sports, swimming, and events.
Westminster, CO – A Safe, Affordable Denver Suburb for Lakes and Open Space
Westminster's median home price runs about 13% below Denver's. Its violent crime rate beats Denver, the state, and the national average all at once, right alongside Thornton, making it the second suburb here that legitimately earns the "safest Denver suburbs" label. The RTD B Line commuter train connects Westminster Station to Union Station in about 11 minutes, and the city sits between Denver and Boulder with easy access to both along US 36. Beyond the commute, Westminster has more than 3,000 acres of preserved open space, anchored by Standley Lake Regional Park, and it's home to the Butterfly Pavilion, the country's first stand-alone nonprofit invertebrate zoo.
Lakewood, CO – An Affordable Denver Suburb with Its Own Downtown
Lakewood is Colorado's fifth-largest city and the largest suburb on this list, with a median home price about 10% below Denver's and an average rent about 6% below Denver's. Its violent crime rate is roughly 21% below Denver's, but it's still well above both the Colorado and national averages. Lakewood has posted some of the highest property crime numbers in the state, so this isn't a safety pick. What it does have is scale and infrastructure: more than 75,000 jobs, the RTD W Line light rail running through the city with several stops.
Housing stock here leans toward older homes from Lakewood's postwar boom, though newer construction has filled in near Belmar, an 80-plus-store shopping, restaurant, and arts district that functions as the downtown Lakewood never had before it was built in 2004. For more, see our guide to living in Lakewood.
Englewood, CO – The Closest Affordable Suburb to Downtown Denver
Englewood sits closer to downtown Denver than any other suburb on this list, with a median home price about 8% below Denver's, the smallest gap of any suburb on this list. Violent crime here runs well below Denver's, but property crime is slightly higher, so Englewood doesn't get the same blanket low-crime label as Thornton and Westminster. What Englewood does have is transit: the RTD light rail's Englewood Station puts Union Station within a short ride, and a free trolley connects the station to the walkable downtown core, the medical district, and Pirates Cove Aquatic Center, the city's own water park.
Map of Affordable Denver Suburbs
Find Affordable Denver Suburbs for Your Move
Denver's suburbs offer a real way to stay close to the city without paying Denver prices: lower home costs, lower rent in most cases, and, for Thornton and Westminster specifically, meaningfully lower crime rates. If one of these affordable suburbs of Denver looks right for your next move, Move 4 Less, the best Denver moving company, is ready to help.
Moti Perez
As a cofounder and business owner of Move 4 Less, my passion is to deliver the highest quality of moving services in the industry. My varied background has thought me the value of seeking new challenges, working hard, keeping customers happy and focus on success.
In 2002, I got my first taste in the moving industry, working for Nationwide Moving&Storage. For a little over two years I worked in a number of frontline and management positions, learning the ins and outs of the moving industry.
The business is now one of the largest moving companies in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
I also had some time in between to open, manage and sell few restaurants and retail business. I continue to invest in Realestate and any other interesting business opportunity.
