Denver-Aurora-Lakewood vs Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: Housing Market Comparison (2026)

Side-by-side Alpha Scores, affordability, momentum, supply, jobs, and rental yield · as of May 2026

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood vs Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim side by side

Metric Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Alpha Score2825
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health21
Affordability81
Economic Strength4849
Rental Yield3929
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income5.68.8
Payment-to-Income34.2%54.2%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield3.8%2.9%
Overvaluation Index4040

Highlighted = the stronger read for that metric (supply, valuation, and payment burden are better when lower). Income/rent inputs lag annually.

How Denver-Aurora-Lakewood and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: Denver-Aurora-Lakewood leads — Denver-Aurora-Lakewood 8/100 vs Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 1/100.
  • Price Momentum: Denver-Aurora-Lakewood and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: Denver-Aurora-Lakewood leads — Denver-Aurora-Lakewood 2/100 vs Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 1/100.
  • Economic Strength: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim leads — Denver-Aurora-Lakewood 48/100 vs Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 49/100.
  • Rental Yield: Denver-Aurora-Lakewood leads — Denver-Aurora-Lakewood 39/100 vs Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 29/100.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood or Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood scores higher — 28 vs 25 out of 100. The Alpha Score is a 0-100 composite of price momentum, inventory health, affordability, economic strength, and rental yield.

Is Denver-Aurora-Lakewood or Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim more affordable?

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood is more affordable on our affordability dimension. Price-to-income is 5.6 in Denver-Aurora-Lakewood and 8.8 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood or Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?

Both markets show similar price momentum (about 50/100).

Want to swap in other cities, change the metrics, or chart the trend over time? Customize this comparison → in the interactive Compare tool. Or read the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood market brief and the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim brief.