Software Developer Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $138K, rent takes 22.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,832/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new software developers typically earn — is $96K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $6,001/month. At HUD’s $1,832/month FMR, rent would take 31% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $138K locally vs. $136K nationally, a 2% difference.

Colorado pays $138K median vs. the U.S. average of $136K — that’s +2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.71), the purchasing-power equivalent is $133K — below the national median.

The median is $138,390 a year, that works out to about $67 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $96,480, and experienced software developers can clear $213,010. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $8,271/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,832/month, which eats 22.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Colorado has a Regional Price Parity of 103.71 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median software developers salary is worth about $133,439 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.