Head-to-head
Colorado vs Utah
Utah undercuts Colorado by 4.188 points on the 2024 all-items measure (98.864 vs 103.052), mostly on rent: a 19.545-point rent-parity gap and a two-bedroom median $359 a month lower.
Updated
| Measure | Colorado | Utah | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 103.052 | 98.864 | +4.188 points |
| Rent price level | 127.359 | 107.814 | +19.545 points |
| Home value | $539,400±$2,069 | $489,400±$1,629 | +$50,000 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,782±$10 | $1,423±$13 | +$359 |
| Household income | $95,470±$578 | $95,166±$774 | +$304 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $2,602±$10 | $2,525±$10 | +$77 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Colorado scales to $3,837 in Utah at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Colorado vs Utah: a gap that has roughly halved since 2020
The two states are converging. Utah's all-items parity rose from 95.259 in 2020 to 98.864 in 2024, while Colorado's slipped from 103.774 to 103.052, so the difference between them has roughly halved in five years. A comparison based on early-decade figures will overstate how much cheaper Utah is today.
Rents remain the clearest difference, and Utah renters feel it less: they spend 28.9% of income on gross rent against 31.4% in Colorado. Goods (2.281 points) and other services (0.654 points) are close, and Utah's utilities, at 78.739, are cheaper by 6.232 points.
For buyers the states are closer than the rents suggest. The median home value is $539,400 in Colorado and $489,400 in Utah, a $50,000 difference that financing, down payment and the chosen county could easily outweigh. The median real estate tax paid differs by only $77 a year, $2,602 against $2,525.
Household incomes are almost identical, $95,470 in Colorado and $95,166 in Utah, yet real per capita personal income diverges: $65,223 in Colorado (rank 8) against $55,116 in Utah (rank 40). The household median and the per-person average measure different things, so use your own offer rather than either.
Both states tax income at a flat rate: Colorado 4.4% for 2025 and Utah 4.45% for 2026, cut from 4.5% by S.B. 60. Income tax supplies a similar share of each state's collections, 43.5% and 42.8%, but Utah collects more through general sales (33.7% against 23.2%), and Colorado's 2.9% state sales rate is usually joined by local and home-rule city taxes.
Price levels by category
| Measure | Colorado | Utah | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 103.052 | 98.864 | +4.188 |
| Goods | 98.727 | 96.446 | +2.281 |
| Housing (rents) | 127.359 | 107.814 | +19.545 |
| Utilities | 84.971 | 78.739 | +6.232 |
| Other services | 99.613 | 98.959 | +0.654 |
| Real income per person (2017 $) | $65,223 | $55,116 | +$10,107 |
Two state tax mixes, FY2025
Colorado: $20.26 billion, $3,370 per resident. Utah: $14.13 billion, $3,994 per resident.
| Tax | CO share | UT share | CO per resident | UT per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | 43.5% | 42.8% | $1,466 | $1,711 |
| General sales | 23.2% | 33.7% | $782 | $1,347 |
| Property | not levied | not levied | — | — |
| Motor fuel | 3.3% | 4.9% | $113 | $196 |
| Other selective sales | 14.1% | 3.2% | $477 | $126 |
| Corporate income | 11.6% | 11.1% | $392 | $442 |
| Licenses | 4.0% | 3.4% | $135 | $137 |
| Severance | 0.2% | 0.8% | $6 | $33 |
| Other taxes | 0.0% | 0.0% | $0 | $1 |
Taxes on wages and purchases
| Tax | Colorado | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax | flat 4.4% for 2025 | flat 4.45% for 2026 |
| State sales tax | 2.9% state rate plus local and home-rule city taxes | Not summarised on this site; see the Utah State Tax Commission |
Reviewed by the State Cost Compare Editorial Team · Review policy · Report a correction