How much it costs to park in downtown Denver compared to other cities

Is the amount you pay for parking in Denver worth outrage? Well, rev up your indignation machines and let’s see.

staff photo
Traffic on Speer. (Chloe Aiello/Denverite)

Traffic on Speer. (Chloe Aiello/Denverite)

We know that many Denverites are averse to losing parking, but is the amount you pay for parking worth equal outrage? Well, rev up your indignation machines and let’s see. 

Here are the ten most expensive metros to park downtown in, according to an analysis from City Observatory:

In New York City, expect to pay $732 a month.

In New York City, expect to pay $732 a month.

Notice something? Yeah, Denver’s not on there. OK, so here’s the 11th – 15th most expensive cities to park downtown in:

Denver's average monthly costs are $170.

Denver's average monthly costs are $170.

Ah yeah, that’s better. Denver is the 15th most expensive city to park downtown in, with a monthly average of $170, based on figures City Observatory found in ParkMe.

Based on the ol’ eyeball test, that’s pretty comfortably in the middle of the metros that were measured.

And since I’d hate for you to have revved up your indignation engines for nothing, here’s a thought: Denver metro parking costs might be too low.

In a follow-on analysis, City Observatory saw that parking costs generally correlated to how frequently transit was used. So higher prices means fewer transit trips. Put another way, Denver still looks like a pretty car-centric place, despite the enthusiasm for transit-oriented development.

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