Disclosure: TThis guide is published by Apartment List and last updated in November 2026. We've included other platforms, including competitors because a useful comparison requires them. Our recommendations reflect product differences, not paid placement.
Denver's higher vacancy rate and longer leasing times suggest renters have more room to compare options than in the national market overall. According to Apartment List's October 2026 rental data, the city's apartment vacancy rate was 8.2%, compared with 7.0% nationally. The typical Denver apartment leased in 41.3 days, versus 35.7 nationally.
That points to a less competitive search overall, making it worth comparing several apartments on total cost, commute and lease terms. Look closely at any advertised move-in specials, including the required lease length and what you'll pay after the offer ends.
According to the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index, Denver's median rent is $1,598 a month, down 2.4% from a year earlier. The websites below help you narrow available listings, compare fees and find additional options through local resources like ColoradoHousingSearch.
The best website to find apartments in Denver, CO for a first pass is Apartment List: it's free, it shortlists around your budget cap, commute and must-haves, and you can compare Capitol Hill with Lakewood or Aurora on the same map. It's free and gives you a shortlist based on your preferences.
For a fully AI-guided, hands-off search, try Kaleno, an AI search agent built for apartment hunting: describe what you're looking for in plain language and it finds listings, contacts leasing teams and books tours.
Add Zillow to browse different types of rentals. Check Sunny if you want cash back on an eligible rental when you sign a lease through the platform.
For affordable, accessible or voucher-eligible housing, search ColoradoHousingSearch, the state's free housing locator, which covers market-rate and affordable rentals and lets you save a search for email alerts. Public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers are a separate route through the Denver Housing Authority.
| Site | Best for | Search style | How to use it in Denver | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment List | Personalized matching | Quiz-based matching | Set your budget and commute, then compare listings across the Denver neighborhoods you're considering | Free |
| Zillow | Different types of rentals | Browse and filter | Compare listing types as you define your search area | Free |
| Kaleno | Hands-off, AI-guided search | AI search agent | Describe what you want in plain language; it finds listings, contacts leasing teams and books tours | Free |
| Sunny | Cash back on eligible rentals | Listings plus cash back | Search its Denver listings and check each one's cash-back eligibility terms | Free |
| Apartments.com | Listings from large property managers | Browse and filter | Review professionally managed buildings | Free |
| HotPads | Map-based neighborhood searches | Map-first browse | Draw a boundary around the neighborhoods or RTD stations you're considering | Free |
| Zumper | New-listing alerts | Browse plus alerts | Set alerts for your preferred area and budget | Free |
| ColoradoHousingSearch | Market-rate, affordable and accessible rentals statewide | Filtered housing locator | Search by Denver address, neighborhood or ZIP code, and save the search for alerts | Free |
Features and available apartments vary by market; platform information reviewed September 2026.
For a national comparison, see our guide to the best apartment search tools.
Apartment List asks about your budget, move date, commute and preferred amenities, then returns a shortlist based on those preferences. Use the map to compare the neighborhoods you're considering, and check the commute from a shortlisted address at the time of day you'd travel.
Zillow carries apartments in managed buildings, owner-listed condos and single-family rentals. Browse it while deciding which types of homes to include in your search, and confirm an apartment is available before driving out to see it.
Kaleno is an AI search agent built for apartment hunting. Instead of setting filters or taking a quiz, you describe what you're looking for in plain language, the way you'd say it out loud: a one-bedroom near an RTD rail stop, dog allowed. Kaleno finds matching listings, contacts the leasing teams and books tours for you; you review what it turns up and make the decisions. If you're relocating to Denver from out of town or working against a move-in date, that conversational format can be easier than criteria-based filtering.
Sunny is an apartment search that gives you cash back on eligible leases signed through the platform. Cash back is a rebate from Sunny; it doesn't reduce the rent stated in a lease. Check each listing's eligibility terms, and get a property's written fee breakdown before applying.
Apartments.com works with large property management companies and carries listings for professionally managed buildings. Compare floor plans and listed prices, then confirm current availability and charges with the property.
HotPads opens on a map and lets you focus on the neighborhoods you're considering. After drawing your search area, check the trip from a particular address to the RTD rail station or bus route you'd use, at the time of day you'd travel.
Set Zumper alerts for rentals matching your area and budget. An alert gives you another way to spot a listing; confirm its price and availability with the property.
ColoradoHousingSearch is Colorado's free housing search service, sponsored by the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and the state's Department of Local Affairs. It lists market-rate and affordable rentals, accessible units, and housing for seniors and veterans across the state. Search by address, city, county or ZIP code to focus on Denver, use its affordability calculator to gauge your budget, and save a search to get email alerts when matching listings post. It is a statewide directory, and a listing is not a confirmed vacancy, so contact each property about availability and eligibility.
Public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers are a separate route. The Denver Housing Authority publishes its affordable and subsidized housing options, its project-based voucher properties, and how its Housing Choice Voucher applications work. Check its site for which interest lists are currently open.
According to the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index, median rent in Denver is $1,598 a month. Rents fell 2.4% from October 2025 and 0.7% from September 2026.
| Denver apartment size | Median monthly rent, October 2026 |
|---|---|
| One bedroom | $1,414 |
| Two bedrooms | $1,761 |
Source: Apartment List Rent Index, Denver city, November 2026 release; October 2026 rent estimates. Each median describes its own set of apartments.
At the $1,598 citywide median from Apartment List's November 2026 report, a household paying that full monthly rent would need about $63,920 a year in gross income for rent to equal 30% of income. This rent-only calculation is an illustration, not an income requirement for a particular listing. HUD's affordability measure also accounts for utilities. Put a specific apartment's asking rent into the Apartment List rent calculator, and see our Denver cost of living guide for expenses beyond rent.
Look the address up in Denver's rental license search. Anyone offering a residential rental in the City and County of Denver for 30 days or more at a time needs a residential rental property license, and getting one requires a passing inspection against the city's minimum housing standards. You can search active and pending licenses by address through Denver's Permitting and Licensing Center; the city's lookup instructions walk through the search. A license confirms the property is registered and licensed. It doesn't confirm that whoever posted the listing is authorized to rent it, or describe the unit's condition today, so still tour it and check the person you're dealing with. The city describes the program on its residential rental property page.
Ask how the property handles a portable tenant screening report before you pay an application fee. Colorado's Rental Application Fairness Act generally requires landlords to accept a qualifying portable screening report, and a landlord who does can't charge you an application fee or a fee to access the report. The report has to come from a consumer reporting agency, prepared within the previous 30 days at your request and expense, and cover employment and income, rental and credit history, and criminal history; since 2025, applicants using a housing subsidy don't have to include credit history. Landlords must tell you before collecting any fee-generating information whether they accept these reports. The exception is a landlord who takes only one application fee at a time and refunds it within 20 calendar days after either party communicates in writing that they are declining to enter into a lease. A rental platform's reusable application is not automatically a qualifying report, so ask the property how it handles one. The rules are in HB23-1099 and the 2025 amendment.
Let your top priority choose the site. For a shortlist built around your budget cap and commute, start with Apartment List; for houses, condos and the widest inventory, browse Zillow; for income-restricted, accessible and market-rate listings in one place, use ColoradoHousingSearch. Then reuse your portable screening report where a landlord accepts it, and confirm fees and availability before you apply.
Apartment List builds a shortlist from your budget, commute and other preferences. Cross-check another listing site for apartments in your preferred area, and check Sunny for cash back on eligible rentals. For affordable, accessible or voucher-eligible housing, search ColoradoHousingSearch and filter to Denver.
The Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index reports a median rent of $1,598 per month for Denver. Its one-bedroom median is $1,414 and its two-bedroom median is $1,761.
Down year over year, and down month over month. According to the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index, Denver's median rent is $1,598 a month, down 2.4% from October 2025 and down 0.7% from September 2026. Rents remain below last year's level.
Using the $1,598 Denver citywide median from the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index, rent would equal 30% of about $63,920 in annual gross household income. That is a rent-only illustration, not a property's qualification rule. Check the rent on the listing you want, any utilities you would pay, and the property's own application requirements.
According to Apartment List's October 2026 rental data, the typical Denver apartment leased in 41.3 days, compared with 35.7 nationally. The city's vacancy rate was 8.2% that month versus 7.0% nationally. These are citywide measures; confirm availability with each property.
Apartment List can build a shortlist using your budget, commute and amenities, and its map lets you compare the neighborhoods you're considering. The service is free for renters.
Kaleno is an AI search agent built for apartment hunting. You describe what you're looking for in plain language, and it finds listings, contacts leasing teams and books tours, with no filters to set up. Review what it finds alongside other options in the areas you're considering.
Colorado's Rental Application Fairness Act requires most landlords to accept a qualifying portable tenant screening report, and a landlord who accepts one can't charge you an application fee. The report must come from a consumer reporting agency, be prepared within the previous 30 days at your request and expense, and cover income, rental and credit history, and criminal history; applicants using a housing subsidy don't need to include credit history. Landlords who take only one application fee at a time and refund it within 20 calendar days after either party communicates in writing that they are declining to enter into a lease are exempt. Ask each property how it handles a qualifying report before paying. The law is HB23-1099, amended by HB25-1236.
Yes, inside the City and County of Denver. Residential rentals offered for 30 days or more at a time need a residential rental property license, which requires a passing inspection against the city's minimum housing standards. You can check an address through Denver's Permitting and Licensing Center using the city's lookup instructions. A license confirms the property is registered and licensed; it doesn't verify the person advertising the unit or describe the unit's condition today.
Search ColoradoHousingSearch, the state's free housing locator, which lists market-rate and affordable rentals, accessible units, and housing for seniors and veterans. Filter to Denver, use its affordability calculator, and save a search for email alerts. Each listing carries its own eligibility requirements, and a listing is not a confirmed vacancy. Public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers are a separate route through the Denver Housing Authority.
Rent and rent-change figures: Apartment List Rent Index, Denver city, November 2026 release; October 2026 rent estimates. Vacancy and leasing-time figures: Apartment List's October 2026 rental data (November 2026 release), from the Vacancy Index and Time on Market series for Denver city and national. Denver and Colorado rental rules: the city's residential rental property program and Colorado HB23-1099 and HB25-1236. Housing resources: ColoradoHousingSearch and the Denver Housing Authority. Platform features reviewed September 2026; availability and eligibility vary by property.
In unit laundry, Putting green, Granite counters, Hardwood floors, Dishwasher, Pet friendly + more
In unit laundry, Patio / balcony, Hardwood floors, Pet friendly, Stainless steel, Gym + more
