Denver, CO

Denver’s selected direct-evidence ZIP set frames a search-range question rather than a citywide inventory: it contains 12 of 27 eligible ZIP/ZCTA matches, ordered by renter households and covering 114,068 renter households. In Zillow’s June 2026 ZORI—a typical observed asking-rent index—the local values run from $1,450 to $2,314, with a $1,982 median and an $864 spread. That dispersion makes the practical question less about a single Denver rent and more about whether a prospective unit’s asking rent, bedroom count, and lease terms are competitive within its ZIP. The selection is useful for comparison but is not an exhaustive inventory of city ZIP areas.

Do not treat the three rent series as substitutes. Zillow places the high and low ends at roughly 111% and 69%, respectively, of the common $2,089 HUD FY 2026 bedroom-specific standard. That is an administrative benchmark, not a typical asking rent, and it cannot establish that units at either end are comparable. ACS instead reports 2024 ZCTA median gross rent. The low-end Zillow ZIP has an ACS median gross rent of $1,764, while the high-end Zillow ZIP’s ACS figure is $1,539. Different timing and rent definitions make this a contrast in measures, not an inconsistency to average away.

Affordability signals do not line up mechanically with either rent series. Across the selected ZCTAs, the ACS share of renter households spending 30% or more of income on gross rent ranges from 33.0% to 56.8%, while survey vacancy ranges from 3.3% to 16.6%. ZIP 80247 pairs a $1,778 Zillow index with the highest burden share and a 6.9% vacancy rate; a lower asking index therefore does not by itself imply low household strain. At the other end, 80211 has the lowest burden share despite a $2,219 index and 5.7% vacancy. Denver’s citywide ACS figures—47.6% burdened and 6.7% vacant—are context, not evidence that any particular property has availability, concessions, or a tenant’s affordability.

These figures set comparison boundaries, not a quote for a particular home. Zillow is an index of observed asking rents; ACS ZCTA estimates are survey statistics for statistical areas that do not exactly match USPS delivery ZIPs; and HUD is an administrative bedroom-specific standard. Before deciding, check the unit’s exact address and bedroom count, the advertised versus effective rent, required fees and utilities, lease length, availability date, income qualification, and whether any voucher or program rules apply. Verify the current listing directly and calculate the applicant’s own income-to-total-housing-cost ratio rather than applying an area median or benchmark mechanically.