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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Families relocating within Colorado face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 11 cities. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Colorado Springs — index 97 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent $1,667/…
Families relocating within Colorado face a complex equation: income, housing costs, healthcare, and quality schools. We ran the numbers on 11 cities. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Colorado Springs — index 97 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent $1,667/mo, healthcare index 99 — ranks #1 on our family-weighted model.
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. At this level, the city practically pays for your move.
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.
#1 Ranked: Colorado Springs — cost index 97, rent $1,667/mo, income $83,198
Colorado Springs: high income, low cost — a rare combo
Family-weighted scoring: income $83,198, healthcare index 99, population 488,664 — balancing career, care, and schools
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| 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 | Denver | 106 | $1,818 | Details |
| 5 | Fort Collins | 115 | $1,970 | Details |
| 6 | Lakewood | 101 | $1,733 | Details |
| 7 | Thornton | 110 | $1,888 | Details |
| 8 | Arvada | 120 | $2,053 | Details |
| 9 | Westminster | 104 | $1,788 | Details |
| 10 | Pueblo | 77 | $1,316 | Details |
| 11 | Centennial | 120 | $2,056 | Details |
488,664 residents · Colorado
The #1 spot goes to Colorado Springs, and the breakdown explains why. And for many people, 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.
177,563 residents · Colorado
Aurora earns its position at #2 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 99 cost index sits 12 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. Nothing too surprising there. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 99, while Healthcare trails at 100.
112,609 residents · Colorado
Greeley earns its position at #3 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 84 cost index sits 27 points below the national baseline, and the $68,650 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $418,757 — $48,613 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 84, while Healthcare trails at 97.
716,577 residents · Colorado
The #4 spot goes to Denver, and the breakdown explains why. Moving on. Renters here pay $1,818/month — we had to double-check this one — — 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.
170,376 residents · Colorado
Why Fort Collins ranks #5: the numbers tell a clear story. At 115 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 4% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,970/month while the median household pulls in $83,598/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 103, though Housing (115) lags behind. Home prices average $556,327 — $88,957 above the national median.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to families. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in Colorado by this personalized metric. 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.
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 families 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.