Advantages & Disadvantages of Retiring in Denver

You think about retiring in Denver but want to get additional information about the city, overall quality of life, living costs, housing situation, entertainment options, safety, public infrastructure and much more before making your final decision in this regard?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of retiring in Denver in the following chapters.

Retire in Denver – Overview

Reasons to Retire in Denver

1. Living costs in Denver are not extremely high
2. Retirees in Denver can enjoy nice summers
3. Pensioners in Denver can experience real seasons
4. Mountains, forests, lakes and many other nice locations to visit around Denver
5. Pensioners in Denver can spend lots of time outdoors
6. Easy to get around by bicycle for people who retire in Denver
7. Decent public transport in Denver
8. Pensioners in Denver don’t urgently need a car to get around
9. Good doctors and hospitals in the Denver region
10. Retirees in Denver can socialize in senior centers
11. Many decent bars in Denver
12. You will find many good restaurants
13. You will have enough entertainment as a retiree in Denver
14. Many recreational spaces in Denver
15. Denver is not the most crowded city
16. Your loved ones have an easy time visiting you in Denver
17. Retirees in Denver have a decent internet connection
18. Many people will envy you for retiring in Denver
19. Denver will be an important place to retire for many decades

Living costs in Denver are not extremely high

One advantage of retiring in Denver is that while living costs are still slightly above national average, they are far lower compared to the Bay Area or other big metropolitan regions and this means that people retiring in San Francisco or other more expensive places have to spend much more money on drinks and other nice things of daily life.

Retirees in Denver can enjoy nice summers

You will also be able to experience pretty nice summers with many hours of sun as a retiree in Denver and many people retiring in Chicago or other rainier places may secretly envy you in this regard.

Pensioners in Denver can experience real seasons

While you will have warm summers, you will also have pretty cold winters in the Denver region and retiring in Denver can therefore be great for you in case you don’t want to have warm weather all year long but also want to have cold months so you can do some winter sports.

Mountains, forests, lakes and many other nice locations to visit around Denver

Another upside to retiring in Denver is that Denver is surrounded by lots of beautiful nature and you can therefore go fishing, hiking and many other nice things close to Denver.

Pensioners in Denver can spend lots of time outdoors

In general, since there are so many nature activities to do close to the city of Denver, retirees in Denver can also spend lots of time outdoors and this enables them to stay fit and pensioners in Denver can also get lots of fresh air.

Easy to get around by bicycle for people who retire in Denver

Since Denver is a bicycle-friendly city, you will also have a pretty easy time getting around by bike and this can not only be great for your finances since you can save lots of money on fuel but it can also keep you fit at an older age.

Decent public transport in Denver

If you don’t want to get around by bicycle, you can still use buses or other means of public transport to get around as a retiree in Denver in an efficient and reliable manner.

Pensioners in Denver don’t urgently need a car to get around

Since you have excellent public transport near the city center and Denver is also a pretty bicycle-friendly city, you also don’t urgently need a car and this can be great news for you as a retiree since you may just no longer be able to drive a car in a safe manner once you reach a certain age and may be grateful for having alternative means of transport available to you at retirement age.

Good doctors and hospitals in the Denver region

Another benefit to retiring in Denver is that you will also have pretty decent medical infrastructure and if you receive a good pension, you will be able to get one of the best medical treatments that money can buy in this region.

Retirees in Denver can socialize in senior centers

There are also many senior centers where you can socialize with other people of your age and can discuss what’s going on in the world right now and also play some games so you will never get bored during your retirement in Denver.

Many decent bars in Denver

You should also know that there are many bars where you can meet up with like-minded people and since people in Denver are usually friendly and outgoing, you can also make many new friends rather quickly and don’t have to worry about getting socially isolated.

You will find many good restaurants

Retiring in Denver can also be great for you in case you want to have many nice culinary experiences since there are many great restaurants where you can enjoy really delicious foods.

You will have enough entertainment as a retiree in Denver

People who retire in Denver also have more than enough entertainment options.

For instance, you can watch sports games, go to the opera, visit a museum, go to the movies or just spend lots of time in nature and chances are that you will never run out of options in this regard.

Many recreational spaces in Denver

There are also many parks and other recreational spaces in Denver where you can just sit down on a bench and enjoy the nice and quiet atmosphere without getting distracted by loud noises or other unpleasant things.

Denver is not the most crowded city

While Denver is a pretty big city, it is still not as crowded and hectic compared to many other big cities in the US and while people retiring in Houston often have to deal with traffic jams and many other issues, people in Denver often have an easier time in this regard.

Your loved ones have an easy time visiting you in Denver

Since Denver has a big international airport, your family and friends can also visit you in the Denver region in a pretty easy manner while this would be much harder if you retired in smaller towns or villages and you will therefore usually have more company by retiring in Denver or other big cities in general.

Retirees in Denver have a decent internet connection

Thanks to the good internet connections most people in Denver are able to use, you can also stay connected to the world and can also make video calls and use social media to stay in touch with your loved ones.

Many people will envy you for retiring in Denver

Since Denver is a pretty popular city, many people out there will also envy and secretly admire you for your plans of retiring in Denver and you can therefore reach a pretty high social status among your peers.

Denver will be an important place to retire for many decades

Since Denver is one of the biggest and most important cities in Colorado, it will also be an important place to work, live and retire for many decades and you don’t have to worry about public infrastructure becoming worse or too many people leaving the region anytime soon.

As you can see, there are many reasons for retiring in Denver.

Yet, it is still not all sunshine and we also have to talk about the drawbacks of retiring in Denver in the following chapters.

Disadvantages of Retiring in Denver

1. Rents are barely affordable for many retirees in Denver
2. You need a high pension to afford a decent lifestyle in Denver
3. Denver is not located at the coast
4. Cold winters may deter many people from retiring in Denver
5. Air quality in Denver is not great
6. Denver is a landlord-friendly place
7. Many neighborhoods in Denver are pretty dodgy
8. Crime is a big problem in Denver
9. Many retirees no longer feel safe in Denver
10. Increasing level of social inequality in Denver
11. Many locals think about leaving Denver
12. Natural disasters may become a problem
13. Public infrastructure gets worse outside the city center of Denver

Rents are barely affordable for many retirees in Denver

One downside to retiring in Denver is that rents are pretty high and many retirees in Denver therefore have to spend lots of money on housing and have barely enough money left for other important things of daily life.

You need a high pension to afford a decent lifestyle in Denver

Since housing costs are pretty high, you also need a pretty good pension to afford a decent lifestyle as a pensioner in Denver and if you don’t receive a good pension, you may be better off retiring in Indianapolis or other cheaper places instead.

Denver is not located at the coast

Another disadvantage of retiring in Denver is that the city is not located at the coast and while people living in Long Beach or other coastal areas are able to go surfing and swimming, you may miss out on many opportunities in this regard in the Denver region.

Cold winters may deter many people from retiring in Denver

You should also know that winters in Denver are pretty cold and many people retiring in Denver may not get happy with the cold and may rather want to retire in Austin or other warmer places in the long run.

Air quality in Denver is not great

You should also keep in mind that air quality in Denver is not great at all and if you suffer from pulmonary problems right now and don’t want those problems to get worse due to bad air quality, you may rather want to spend the last chapter of your life in a different region instead.

Denver is a landlord-friendly place

Another problem with retiring in Denver is that Denver is a rather landlord-friendly place and you will therefore have far fewer rights as a tenant compared to people retiring in Seattle or other cities where tenants are better protected from excessive rent increases or evictions.

Many neighborhoods in Denver are pretty dodgy

If you don’t have a great pension, you may also not be able to afford a decent place to stay and may end up in a rather dodgy neighborhood in Denver where you might just not feel comfortable and safe.

Crime is a big problem in Denver

You should also be aware of the fact that crime rates in Denver are pretty high and if you rather want to be on the safe side, you may be better off moving to Virginia Beach or other safer places instead.

Many retirees no longer feel safe in Denver

Due to high crime rates, many pensioners in Denver no longer feel safe during nighttime or in specific districts and this may greatly lower their overall quality of life in the long run.

Increasing level of social inequality in Denver

Also the gap between the poor and the rich is about to increase in the Denver region and there are many homeless people and many people living below the poverty line.

Hence, you will be confronted with high levels of poverty and this is not a nice picture at all and may also lead to all sorts of social problems.

Many locals think about leaving Denver

Due to skyrocketing rents and the social problems the city has to deal with, many locals also consider leaving the Denver region and this would make the city a less attractive place to live in since part of the charm of the city would be lost.

Natural disasters may become a problem

Denver may also get hit by storms, wildfires or other natural disasters sooner or later and you should therefore get proper insurance in this regard so you are covered in case of emergency.

Public infrastructure gets worse outside the city center of Denver

While public transport and medical infrastructure is excellent close to the city center, it still gets worse in the outskirts of Denver and if you live in the suburbs, you may have a harder time getting what you need as a retiree in Denver.

Top 10 Retiring in Denver Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Denver A Good Place To Retire?

While retiring in Denver can be great since you will have excellent public transport, good medical infrastructure and many opportunities to socialize in senior centers or other locations, you should also know that crime rates in Denver are pretty high and rents are barely affordable for many retirees.

Alternative Cities To Retire

If you don’t want to retire in Denver, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Charlotte

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in San José

Advantages and disadvantages of retiring in Dallas

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/denvercountycolorado

Own research.

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.