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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Living alone means bearing 100% of every bill. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. We ranked 11 cities in Colorado for singles, weighting rent, overall costs, and city size. Pueblo leads: rent $1,316/mo, index 94, population 111,077.
#1 Ranked: Pueblo — cost index 94, rent $1,316/mo, income $55,305
Singles scoring: rent $1,316/mo (solo housing), cost index 94, population 111,077 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Living alone means bearing 100% of every bill. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. We ranked 11 cities in Colorado for singles, weighting rent, overall costs, and city size. Pueblo leads: rent $1,316/mo, index 94, population 111,077.
Single-income living means absorbing 100% of housing costs. Our model weights rent under $1,300 (20pts), cost of living (15pts), and city population (10pts) — because a social scene matters when you're on your own. Pueblo at $1,316/mo in a city of 111,077 hits the right balance. Denver offers a larger city as a runner-up.
Here's Pueblo by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 94. Rent: $1,316/month. Income: $55,305/year. Home price: $283,780. Population: 111,077. The strongest category is Housing at 85; the most expensive is Healthcare at 97. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,948 per year vs. the national median. This is worth factoring into any relocation decision. Honestly, this is the kind of city that makes you wonder why more people aren't paying attention. The numbers are right there — rent that doesn't eat your paycheck, costs that actually leave room for a life. And yet it barely shows up in the national conversation about affordable places to live. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe that's what keeps it affordable.
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 (that's pre-tax, of course).
| 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 | Arvada | 121 | $2,053 | Details |
| 9 | Westminster | 112 | $1,788 | Details |
| 10 | Greeley | 102 | $1,442 | Details |
| 11 | Centennial | 122 | $2,056 | Details |
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 85) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 97) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $55,305 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — and homes at $283,780 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons (that's pre-tax, of course).
716,577 residents · Colorado
Dive into Denver's numbers: cost index 113 (1 points above national average), rent $1,818/month, income $91,681, and a home price of $530,920. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 104, while Housing runs 133. As a major city with 716,577 residents, amenities and job markets are robust (that's pre-tax, of course).
488,664 residents · Colorado
Colorado Springs earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 107 cost index sits 5 points below the national baseline, and the $83,198 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $446,132 — $21,238 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 98, while Housing trails at 118 (which, to be fair, is a metric that favors smaller cities).
177,563 residents · Colorado
Look, the numbers for Aurora are straightforward: 108 on the cost index, $1,689/month rent, $84,320 income. And for the typical household, not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. It lines up with what you'd expect (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
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 singles 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 Centennial (ranked #11) has a cost index of 122 and rent of $2,056/mo — a 28-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.