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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in Colorado — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Pueblo (index 77, rent $1,316/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 11 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
#1 Ranked: Pueblo — cost index 77, rent $1,316/mo, income $55,305
43-point cost gap between #1 and #11
8 of 11 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pueblo | 77 | $1,316 | Details |
| 2 | Greeley | 84 | $1,442 | Details |
| 3 | Colorado Springs | 97 | $1,667 | Details |
| 4 | Aurora | 99 | $1,689 | Details |
| 5 | Lakewood | 101 | $1,733 | Details |
| 6 | Westminster | 104 | $1,788 | Details |
| 7 | Denver | 106 | $1,818 | Details |
| 8 | Thornton | 110 | $1,888 | Details |
| 9 | Fort Collins | 115 | $1,970 | Details |
| 10 | Arvada | 120 | $2,053 | Details |
| 11 | Centennial | 120 | $2,056 | Details |
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in Colorado — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. Pueblo (index 77, rent $1,316/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 11 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026.
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 77, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 95. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. And with some exceptions, this gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Pueblo: $1,316/mo — for better or worse — , Greeley: $1,442/mo, Colorado Springs: $1,667/mo. The cheapest city here is $579 under the national median — that's $6,948/year in savings on rent alone.
Every ranking has a story. This one's worth telling: 43-point cost gap between #1 and #11. Pueblo (index 77) and Centennial (index 120) sit 43 points apart on the cost index — proof that Colorado is far from monolithic in affordability.
None of this exists in a vacuum, though. And from what we can tell, colorado — outdoor lifestyle with a rising price tag. The 11 cities we track here average a cost index of 103 and median income of $90,112. It's a clear buyer's market compared to national norms. The typical rent runs $1,765/month, which is $130 less than the national median.
Real talk: What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers (that's pre-tax, of course).
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. And generally speaking, 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 #1 for clear reasons (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
112,609 residents · Colorado
The #2 spot goes to Greeley, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,442/month — saving renters $5,436 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 84, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 97. A 25% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone. No gimmicks — just good numbers.
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: 97. Rent: $1,667/month. Income: $83,198/year. Home price: $446,132. Population: 488,664. The strongest category is Housing at 97; the most expensive is Healthcare at 99. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,736 per year vs. the national median. You get the picture. In a market where everything is going up, this stands still — in a good way.
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.
155,961 residents · Colorado
Dive into Lakewood's numbers: cost index 101 (10 points below national average), rent $1,733/month, income $85,789, and a home price of $565,592. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Healthcare is the cheapest category at 100, while Housing runs 101. With 155,961 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
Pueblo ranks #1 in Colorado for this analysis with a cost index of 77 and 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 77 and rent of $1,316/mo, while Centennial (ranked #11) has a cost index of 120 and rent of $2,056/mo — a 43-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.