What the numbers mean
A $75,000 salary in Los Angeles gives you $40,318 in purchasing power after state income taxes (7.0%) and local cost of living. The same salary in Denver gives you $56,457 — +40% more.
Median rent in Denver runs about $1,800/month — roughly $600/month less than Los Angeles's $2,400. That's $7,200/year back in your pocket before anything else.
Los Angeles's cost-of-living index is 173 (national average = 100). Denver's is 127.