State profile
Colorado Cost of Living Comparison
Colorado's 2024 price level is 103.052, 3.05% above the national level, and the premium is almost entirely rent: housing parity is 127.359 (rank 47) while utilities are 15.03% below the U.S.
Updated
103.052Colorado all-items price level, U.S. = 100 · rank 39 of 51, lowest first
| Measure | Colorado | Oregon | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 103.052 | 103.361 | −0.309 points |
| Rent price level | 127.359 | 108.628 | +18.731 points |
| Home value | $539,400±$2,069 | $477,600±$1,400 | +$61,800 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,782±$10 | $1,523±$12 | +$259 |
| Household income | $95,470±$578 | $83,011±$573 | +$12,459 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $2,602±$10 | $3,876±$17 | −$1,274 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Colorado scales to $4,012 in Oregon at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Colorado's rent premium and cheap utilities
Colorado's categories diverge more than most states'. The rent parity ranks 47th of 51 and the two-bedroom gross-rent median of $1,782 ranks sixth, yet utilities, at 84.971, rank 19th from the bottom and goods sit just below the national level at 98.727. Renters spend 31.4% of income on gross rent, rank 6.
Ownership is costly as well. The median home value is $539,400, rank 6, and owners with a mortgage report median monthly costs of $2,326. Real estate taxes are moderate by comparison: a median $2,602 a year, rank 29.
Higher incomes carry more of the load here than in most expensive states. The median household income of $95,470 ranks tenth, and real per capita personal income, after adjusting for Colorado's prices, is $65,223, rank 8.
Colorado's state government levies no state property tax in the Census survey and collected $3,370 per resident in fiscal 2025, rank 42, with individual income tax supplying 43.5%. The state income tax is a flat 4.4% for 2025, and the state sales tax rate is 2.9% before local and home-rule city taxes, which can add considerably at the register.
The relative price level has wobbled rather than climbed: 103.774 in 2020, a low of 101.856 in 2023, and 103.052 in 2024.
The border comparisons are lopsided. All six neighbours have lower price levels: Utah is closest at 98.864 with rents at 107.814, while Oklahoma (87.843, rents 62.763) and Kansas (90.068) are the cheapest. Oregon, at 103.361, is Colorado's nearest match nationally.
Category price levels in Colorado
| Category | Parity | Rank, low first | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 103.052 | 39 | 3.05% above |
| Goods | 98.727 | 36 | 1.27% below |
| Housing (rents) | 127.359 | 47 | 27.36% above |
| Utilities | 84.971 | 19 | 15.03% below |
| Other services | 99.613 | 26 | 0.39% below |
| Real income per person, 2017 $ | $65,223 | 8 | U.S. $59,195 |
All items by year: 2020 103.774 · 2021 102.765 · 2022 102.260 · 2023 101.856 · 2024 103.052 (−0.722 since 2020). How to read categories and trends
Monthly housing costs
- Owners with a mortgage
- $2,326±$9 · rank 11, high first
- Owners without a mortgage
- $663±$4 · rank 20
- Renters: gross rent / income
- 31.4%±0.2 · rank 6
Colorado state tax collections, FY2025
$20.26 billion in total, $3,370 per resident. Scope of these figures
| Tax | FY2025 | Share | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | $8.82 billion | 43.5% | $1,466 |
| General sales | $4.70 billion | 23.2% | $782 |
| Property | not levied | ||
| Motor fuel | $678.3 million | 3.3% | $113 |
| Other selective sales | $2.87 billion | 14.1% | $477 |
| Corporate income | $2.35 billion | 11.6% | $392 |
| Licenses | $814.0 million | 4.0% | $135 |
| Severance | $33.1 million | 0.2% | $6 |
| Other taxes | $0.0 million | 0.0% | $0 |
Colorado income tax on wages
Colorado taxes Colorado taxable income at a single rate, currently 4.4% according to the Department of Revenue's 2025 individual income tax booklet (DR 0104 instructions).
Read : Colorado Department of Revenue: 2025 Book 104. Price parities exclude income taxes.
Colorado sales tax
Colorado's state sales tax rate is 2.9%. A sale can also be subject to state-administered local sales taxes and to self-collected home-rule city sales taxes that the Department of Revenue does not administer.
Colorado beside its neighbours
Before you budget a move
A Colorado relocation can combine a new housing market with a changed travel pattern. Ask whether the proposed address, job and care arrangements require a vehicle, parking or frequent trips. The statewide housing price parity measures a rental price environment; it does not predict the sale value of a chosen property.
For Denver-area, Colorado Springs or another destination, compare actual annual compensation and twelve months of the proposed lease. Keep deposits and moving expenses separate. A higher household-income median does not guarantee that your particular occupation or household will receive a larger paycheck.
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