.NET Developer Salary in Denver: $85,000-$150,000 (2026)

Denver's cost of living index (~112) means nominal . NET salaries are higher than the U.

S. average but housing and commute costs erode purchasing power.

Typical one-bedroom rents inside central neighborhoods (Capitol Hill, LoDo) range from $1,700–$2,200; two-bedrooms in family areas (Wash Park, Stapleton) often sit $2,300–$3,200. For a mid-level .

NET dev earning ~105K, monthly take-home after taxes is roughly $6,400–$6,900; subtracting rent, utilities, groceries, and transit leaves limited savings compared with lower-COL markets. Commute costs matter: many tech teams are in central Denver, so residents of suburbs like Aurora or Lakewood may incur 45–75 minutes and higher fuel or public transit costs.

Lifestyle affordability depends on choices—eating out and outdoor recreation are accessible, but discretionary spend (childcare, private school, frequent weekend travel) becomes notably more expensive. In short, Denver pays a premium for tech talent, but housing is the dominant drag on real purchasing power for .

NET developers.

Denver's . NET salary profile is driven by a blend of strong regional employers and evolving technical demands.

Healthcare firms such as DaVita and several health-tech startups maintain large C#/. NET codebases for clinical and billing systems, sustaining demand for backend .

NET engineers. Financial and fintech employers (CoBank, regional banks, payment processors) need secure, transactional services frequently built in .

NET. Aerospace/defense contractors (Lockheed Martin) and enterprise software vendors (Oracle presence, S&P Global offices) add larger budgets and senior roles that push top-of-market salaries up.

Additionally, the rise of cloud adoption—particularly Azure—is reshaping role expectations: teams seek . NET developers with Azure Functions, AKS/Kubernetes, CI/CD, and microservices experience, which commands a premium.

Local venture funding and migration of remote teams into Denver have increased competition for senior full-stack . NET talent, creating a sustained high-demand hiring environment and upward pressure on compensation.

Compared to Boulder (COL ~125), Denver offers slightly lower salaries but broader job volume; Boulder pays a bit more (~$120K) but housing is more expensive, so real net benefit may be small. Colorado Springs provides lower COL and lower .

NET salaries (~$95K); relocation there increases disposable income for the same lifestyle but reduces access to large enterprise employers. Salt Lake City has become a competitive tech hub with comparable salaries (~$105K) and slightly lower COL (~104), making it attractive for relocation while retaining solid employer options.

Commuting into Denver from nearby suburbs can be viable for lower housing cost but increases time and transportation expenses—factor in 2–6 hours weekly just for commuting. Remote work changes the calculus: many Denver employers allow hybrid or remote .

NET roles, enabling candidates to live in lower-COL areas while retaining Denver-market pay, though fully remote positions may pay market-adjusted rates rather than full local premiums.

Typical progression: junior (0–2 years) → mid (3–7 years) → senior/lead (8+ years). Entry .

NET devs start by mastering C#, ASP. NET Core, Entity Framework, and unit testing; expect a 10–20% salary lift after the first 18–24 months if moving to a role with production responsibility.

Mid-level developers who add cloud (Azure), containerization, CI/CD pipelines, and some frontend (React/Angular) experience can accelerate to the mid band (3–7 years) and see increases toward the local average (~105K). Senior engineers who lead architecture, own microservice design, mentor teams, and interface with product and security can command top-of-market compensation (130–150K+), especially at healthcare or fintech firms.

Rapid advancement is often tied to demonstrable delivery on high-impact projects, certifications (Azure Solutions Architect, Microsoft certs), and breadth across cloud, observability, and security disciplines in Denver’s employer mix.

When negotiating, anchor with local ranges: for Denver, reasonable offers are $75–85K (entry), $95–115K (mid), $125–150K+ (senior). Use recent comparable offers or local job listings to justify asks.

Emphasize Azure experience, microservices, performance tuning, and domain knowledge (healthcare/finance) to push toward the high end. Ask about bonuses and equity—many mid-to-large firms offer 5–15% bonus targets or RSUs, which materially affect total comp.

Negotiate hybrid flexibility: employers often expect in-office but will trade partial remote days for salary concessions. Prioritize benefits that offset COL: housing stipends, relocation assistance, commuter benefits, student loan repayment, and enhanced 401(k) matches.

Culturally, Denver teams value in-person collaboration and community fit—frame technical wins in terms of team impact and mentorship to strengthen your negotiation position.