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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 1 points on the cost index. Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Lakewood are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the…
#1 Ranked: Denver — cost index 113, rent $1,818/mo, income $91,681
Top 5 separated by only 1 points
4 of 11 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Denver | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
2Colorado Springs | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
3Aurora | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
4Fort Collins | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
5Lakewood | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
6Thornton | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
7Arvada | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
8Westminster | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
9Greeley | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
10Pueblo | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $65,411 |
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 1 points on the cost index. Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Lakewood are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreakers. Here's the full breakdown. One to watch.
Dive into Denver's numbers: cost index 113 — for better or worse — (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.
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.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver | 113 | $1,818 | Details |
| 2 | Colorado Springs | 107 | $1,667 | Details |
| 3 | Aurora | 108 | $1,689 | Details |
| 4 | Fort Collins | 117 | $1,970 | Details |
| 5 | Lakewood | 114 | $1,733 | Details |
| 6 | Thornton | 113 | $1,888 | Details |
| 7 | Arvada | 121 | $2,053 | Details |
| 8 | Westminster | 112 | $1,788 | Details |
| 9 | Greeley | 102 | $1,442 | Details |
| 10 | Pueblo | 94 | $1,316 | Details |
| 11 | Centennial | 122 | $2,056 | Details |
716,577 residents · Colorado
Here's Denver by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 113. Rent: $1,818/month. Income: $91,681/year. Home price: $530,920. Population: 716,577. The strongest category is Utilities at 104; the most expensive is Housing at 133. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $924 per year vs. the national median. When healthcare costs are this low, the savings ripple across every other category (that's pre-tax, of course).
488,664 residents · Colorado
Dive into Colorado Springs's numbers: cost index 107 (5 points below national average), rent $1,667/month, income $83,198, and a home price of $446,132. And roughly speaking, the city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 98, while Housing runs 118. With 488,664 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
395,052 residents · Colorado
Aurora earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 108 cost index sits 4 points below the national baseline, and the $84,320 median income means purchasing power here is genuinely above average. Homes list at $458,953 — $8,417 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 99, while Housing trails at 120.
170,376 residents · Colorado
Here's Fort Collins by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. And generally speaking, cost index: 117. Rent: $1,970/month. Income: $83,598/year. Home price: $556,327. Population: 170,376. The strongest category is Utilities at 108; the most expensive is Housing at 142. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $900 more per year vs. the national median. The delta here is big enough to fund a retirement account (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
155,961 residents · Colorado
Here's Lakewood by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 114. Rent: $1,733/month. Income: $85,789/year. Home price: $565,592. Population: 155,961. The strongest category is Utilities at 104; the most expensive is Housing at 134. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $1,944 per year vs. the national median. This is one of those rare cities where the math works from every angle.
Cities are ranked by effective property tax rate within Colorado. Property taxes can vary significantly between municipalities even within the same state due to local levies, school districts, and assessment practices. 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.
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.