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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Finding the right city for a family isn't just about cheap rent — it's about income, healthcare, schools, and room to grow. We scored 11 cities in Colorado on the metrics families care about, and Denver comes out on top with a cost index of 113, median income of $91,681, and a healthcare index of 11…
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver | 113 | $1,818 | Details |
| 2 | Colorado Springs | 107 | $1,667 | Details |
| 3 | Greeley | 102 | $1,442 | Details |
| 4 | Pueblo | 94 | $1,316 | Details |
| 5 | Aurora | 108 | $1,689 | Details |
| 6 | Fort Collins | 117 | $1,970 | Details |
| 7 | Lakewood | 114 | $1,733 | Details |
| 8 | Thornton | 113 | $1,888 | Details |
| 9 | Arvada | 121 | $2,053 | Details |
| 10 | Westminster | 112 | $1,788 | Details |
| 11 | Centennial | 122 | $2,056 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Denver — cost index 113, rent $1,818/mo, income $91,681
Top 5 separated by only 5 points
Family-weighted scoring: income $91,681, healthcare index 117, population 716,577 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Finding the right city for a family isn't just about cheap rent — it's about income, healthcare, schools, and room to grow. We scored 11 cities in Colorado on the metrics families care about, and Denver comes out on top with a cost index of 113, median income of $91,681, and a healthcare index of 117.
Top 5 separated by only 5 points. The race is tight: Denver, Colorado Springs, Greeley, Pueblo, Aurora are all within 5 points of each other. At this level, differences in rent, taxes, or a single category can sway the decision. This is the kind of number that should get your attention.
Why Denver ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 113 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 1% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,818/month — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — while the median household pulls in $91,681/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 104, though Housing (133) lags behind. Home prices average $530,920 — $63,550 above the national median.
Our family scoring model prioritizes four dimensions: household income above $60K (supporting a family-sized budget), cost index under 100 (keeping daily expenses manageable), healthcare index under 110 (critical for pediatric care and family premiums), and population above 200K (ensuring access to quality schools and youth programs). Denver leads because it scores across all four. Colorado Springs and Greeley follow with even better healthcare costs.
Now apply that to an actual budget: Colorado — outdoor lifestyle with a rising price tag. The 11 cities we track here average a cost index of 111 and median income of $90,112. It lands right near the national baseline, which makes the differences between individual cities all the more important. The typical rent runs $1,765/month, which is $130 less than the national median.
Bottom line: Denver leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
716,577 residents · Colorado
Why Denver ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. That's more or less in line with the region. At 113 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 1% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,818/month while the median household pulls in $91,681/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 104, though Housing (133) lags behind. Home prices average $530,920 — $63,550 above the national median (which, to be fair, is a metric that favors smaller cities).
488,664 residents · Colorado
Here's Colorado Springs by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 107. Rent: $1,667/month. Income: $83,198/year. Home price: $446,132. Population: 488,664. The strongest category is Utilities at 98; the most expensive is Housing at 118. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,736 per year vs. the national median. If you're debt-free, those savings go straight to building wealth.
112,609 residents · Colorado
Why Greeley ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 102 on the cost index, residents save roughly 10% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,442/month — a detail that tends to get overlooked — while the median household pulls in $68,650/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 94, though Housing (106) lags behind. Home prices average $418,757 — $48,613 below the national median.
111,077 residents · Colorado
A closer look at Pueblo: the cost index of 94 breaks down to a Housing index of 85 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 97 (weakest). Median rent is $1,316/month — 31% below the national median — while household income sits at $55,305, meaning locals spend about 29% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room.
177,563 residents · Colorado
The #5 spot goes to Aurora, and the breakdown explains why. That's a reasonable number. Renters here pay $1,689/month — saving renters $2,472 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 99, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 120. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to families. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Denver ranks #1 in Colorado for this analysis with a cost index of 113 and median income of $91,681.
Denver scores highest for families due to its strong income potential, median rent of $1,818/mo, and above-average median income of $91,681.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Denver (ranked #1) has a cost index of 113 and rent of $1,818/mo, while Centennial (ranked #11) has a cost index of 122 and rent of $2,056/mo — a 9-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Denver is $1,818/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $77 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Denver is $530,920, which is 5.8× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Colorado has a 4.4% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.81%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.49%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.