Climate
Denver logs 142 frost days a year to San Antonio's 5 — San Antonio wins by 137. Denver also leads on hot days by 107.
Denver
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
San Antonio
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
San Antonio is $676/mo cheaperDenver runs about $3,831/mo for a balanced lifestyle against San Antonio's $3,155/mo — San Antonio comes in $676 cheaper each month, roughly 21% less.
Denver
$3,831monthly · balanced
San Antonio
$3,155monthly · balanced
Mobility
Denver and San Antonio score neck-and-neck on mobility (2.4 vs 2.2, 0–5 scale).
Culture
Denver's culture score of 3.7 sits well above San Antonio's 3.4, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.
Nature & Outdoors
Denver's nature & outdoors score of 4.5 sits well above San Antonio's 3.0, with the biggest gap on skiing & snowboarding. San Antonio still holds an edge on beach lifestyle.
Safety
Denver's safety score is ~1.3× San Antonio's — in the middle of the scale, while San Antonio lands below average, with the biggest gap on flooding safety. San Antonio still holds an edge on wildfire safety.
Career
Denver's career score of 3.9 sits well above San Antonio's 2.9, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.
Social & Community
Denver and San Antonio score neck-and-neck on social & community (3.8 vs 3.7, 0–5 scale).
Food & Dining
On food & dining, Denver scores 4.0 vs San Antonio's 3.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on vegan & vegetarian options.
Family
On family, Denver scores 3.9 vs San Antonio's 2.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools.
Healthcare
On healthcare, Denver scores 2.8 vs San Antonio's 2.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.
Air Quality
Denver averages 6.8 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus San Antonio's 9.2 µg/m³ (good) — Denver breathes ~26% cleaner air (2.4 µg/m³ lower).
Denver
San Antonio
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Denver (2.4M) and San Antonio (1.5M) are 1.6x in population — Denver is the larger metro, San Antonio the smaller; on land area Denver spans roughly 1.9x more ground.
Denver is roughly 1.7x the scale of San Antonio
Combined population & area comparison
DenverSan AntonioCity Scale Rankings
Denver2.4M1.6xSan Antonio1.5M1xDenver1,194 km²1.9xSan Antonio640 km²1xDenver
San Antonio
Who Thrives Here
Denver favours the mountain seeker, while San Antonio suits the eternal summer. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Denver vs San Antonio
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The best city depends on what matters to you
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