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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Remote workers have a superpower: location independence. Which Colorado city let you keep the most of that salary? We scored 11 cities on cost of living, utility infrastructure, and income potential. Pueblo leads at cost index 94 with a utilities index of 86.
#1 Ranked: Pueblo — cost index 94, rent $1,316/mo, income $55,305
Remote-worker scoring: cost index 94, utilities index 86, income $55,305 — maximizing geographic arbitrage
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Remote workers have a superpower: location independence. Which Colorado city let you keep the most of that salary? We scored 11 cities on cost of living, utility infrastructure, and income potential. Pueblo leads at cost index 94 with a utilities index of 86.
Remote workers profit from geographic arbitrage. Our model scores cost index (20pts), local income as a proxy for economic infrastructure (15pts), and utility costs (10pts) — because when your living room is your office, reliable affordable internet and power matter. Pueblo scores highest with a 94 cost index and 86 utilities index. Denver offers a different cost profile.
The #1 spot goes to Pueblo, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,316/month — saving renters $6,948 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 85, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 97. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
Bottom line: Pueblo 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 (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pueblo | 94 | $1,316 | Details |
| 2 | Denver | 113 | $1,818 | Details |
| 3 | Colorado Springs | 107 | $1,667 | Details |
| 4 | Aurora | 108 | $1,689 | Details |
| 5 | Fort Collins | 117 | $1,970 | Details |
| 6 | Lakewood | 114 | $1,733 | Details |
| 7 | Thornton | 113 | $1,888 | Details |
| 8 | Westminster | 112 | $1,788 | Details |
| 9 | Arvada | 121 | $2,053 | Details |
| 10 | Centennial | 122 | $2,056 | Details |
| 11 | Greeley | 102 | $1,442 | Details |
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.
716,577 residents · Colorado
A closer look at Denver: the cost index of 113 breaks down to a Utilities index of 104 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 133 (weakest). Median rent is $1,818/month — 4% below the national median — while household income sits at $91,681, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
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 plug these numbers into any cost calculator, they hold up.
395,052 residents · Colorado
What does daily life actually cost in Aurora? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 99) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 120) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $84,320 and homes at $458,953 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
170,376 residents · Colorado
The #5 spot goes to Fort Collins, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,970/month — costing renters $900 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 108, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 142. A 28% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
Pueblo ranks #1 in Colorado for this analysis with a cost index of 94 and median income of $55,305.
Pueblo scores highest for remote workers due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,316/mo, and competitive median income of $55,305.
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.
Pueblo (ranked #1) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,316/mo, while Greeley (ranked #11) has a cost index of 102 and rent of $1,442/mo — a 8-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 Pueblo is $1,316/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $579 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Pueblo is $283,780, which is 5.1× 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.