a landable guide
The Mountain West without the Denver or Salt Lake price tag. Outdoor access, altitude, and rent under $2,000.
By Karol Gajda
The Mountain West sells itself on proximity to public land, high outdoor scores, and a slower pace than the coasts. The catch is that the marquee markets have gotten expensive: Denver, Salt Lake, and Boise have all seen rent climb hard over the past few years.
This list covers the Mountain West with a $2,000 rent cap, then lets outdoor access and park quality do the ranking. Every city here keeps the altitude-and-trails appeal without the headline price.
01
NM · 924k metro
Albuquerque tops the Mountain West: an outdoor score of 81, 205 pleasant days, and $1,489 median rent. The trail access is the headline and the price is the surprise.
$1,489
median rent / month
81
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
205
pleasant days a year
02
NV · 2.3M metro
Las Vegas lands second with an outdoor score of 80 and $1,731 rent. Public land within reach without the marquee-market markup.
$1,731
median rent / month
80
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
210
pleasant days a year
03
Photo by Abhi Verma on Unsplash
CO · 3.0M metro
Denver takes third: $1,863 a month, outdoor score 85, and 174 pleasant days. Altitude and access at a livable rent.
$1,863
median rent / month
85
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
174
pleasant days a year
04
Photo by Will Smith on Unsplash
ID · 827k metro
Boise pairs an outdoor score of 82 with $1,794 rent and 166 pleasant days. The Mountain West formula, minus the Denver bill.
$1,794
median rent / month
82
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
166
pleasant days a year
05
Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Pexels
UT · 1.3M metro
Salt Lake City earns it on outdoor value: $1,608 median rent, outdoor score 78, 168 pleasant days.
$1,608
median rent / month
78
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
168
pleasant days a year
06
Photo by Randuski Dowell on Unsplash
NV · 565k metro
Reno is the mid-list pick that delivers: $1,908 rent, outdoor score 71, 201 pleasant days.
$1,908
median rent / month
71
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
201
pleasant days a year
07
CO · 769k metro
Colorado Springs clears the bar with an outdoor score of 71, $1,733 median rent, and 184 pleasant days.
$1,733
median rent / month
71
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
184
pleasant days a year
08
Photo by Chase Charaba on Unsplash
UT · 658k metro
Ogden keeps the trails-and-affordable promise: outdoor score 80 at $1,641 a month.
$1,641
median rent / month
80
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
174
pleasant days a year
09
Photo by Quang Vuong on Pexels
UT · 733k metro
Provo lands near the bottom of the ten and still earns it: $1,743 rent, outdoor score 81, 171 pleasant days.
$1,743
median rent / month
81
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
171
pleasant days a year
10
Photo by Andrew Ling on Unsplash
AZ · 1.1M metro
Tucson rounds out the Mountain West: $1,444 median rent, outdoor score 66, and 202 pleasant days.
$1,444
median rent / month
66
OutdoorScore (0 to 100)
202
pleasant days a year
We rank by 35% affordability, 30% parks, 20% weather, 10% things to do, and 5% walkability across Mountain West states (CO, UT, AZ, NV, NM, ID, MT, WY), capped at $2,000 median rent. The weather score penalizes extreme heat, so low-desert cities rank below high-altitude ones.
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