Loading
Assembling your view…
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. Colorado Springs leads at cost index 97 with a utilities index of 99.
#1 Ranked: Colorado Springs — cost index 97, rent $1,667/mo, income $83,198
Colorado Springs: high income, low cost — a rare combo
Remote-worker scoring: cost index 97, utilities index 99, income $83,198 — 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. Colorado Springs leads at cost index 97 with a utilities index of 99.
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. Colorado Springs scores highest with a 97 cost index and 99 utilities index. Aurora offers a different cost profile.
The #1 spot goes to Colorado Springs, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,667/month — saving renters $2,736 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 97, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Healthcare at 99. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
Bottom line: Colorado Springs 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 | Colorado Springs | 97 | $1,667 | Details |
| 2 | Aurora | 99 | $1,689 | Details |
| 3 | Greeley | 84 | $1,442 | Details |
| 4 | Pueblo | 77 | $1,316 | Details |
| 5 | Denver | 106 | $1,818 | Details |
| 6 | Fort Collins | 115 | $1,970 | Details |
| 7 | Lakewood | 101 | $1,733 | Details |
| 8 | Thornton | 110 | $1,888 | Details |
| 9 | Arvada | 120 | $2,053 | Details |
| 10 | Westminster | 104 | $1,788 | Details |
| 11 | Centennial | 120 | $2,056 | Details |
488,664 residents · Colorado
A closer look at Colorado Springs: the cost index of 97 breaks down to a Housing index of 97 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 99 (weakest). Median rent is $1,667/month — 12% below the national median — while household income sits at $83,198, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
177,563 residents · Colorado
A closer look at Aurora: the cost index of 99 breaks down to a Housing index of 99 (strongest category) and a Healthcare index of 100 (weakest). Median rent is $1,689/month — 11% below the national median — while household income sits at $84,320, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
112,609 residents · Colorado
Here's Greeley by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 84. Rent: $1,442/month. Income: $68,650/year. Home price: $418,757. Population: 112,609. The strongest category is Housing at 84; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $5,436 per year vs. the national median. If you plug these numbers into any cost calculator, they hold up.
111,077 residents · Colorado
What does daily life actually cost in Pueblo? Start with the 29% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 77) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 95) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $55,305 and homes at $283,780 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
716,577 residents · Colorado
The #5 spot goes to Denver, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,818/month — saving renters $924 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 101, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 106. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
Colorado Springs ranks #1 in Colorado for this analysis with a cost index of 97 and median income of $83,198.
Colorado Springs scores highest for remote workers due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,667/mo, and above-average median income of $83,198.
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.
Colorado Springs (ranked #1) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,667/mo, while Centennial (ranked #11) has a cost index of 120 and rent of $2,056/mo — a 23-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 Colorado Springs is $1,667/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $228 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Colorado Springs is $446,132, which is 5.4× 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.