Loading
Assembling your view…
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.
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.
Pueblo is one of the cheaper options here. Rent is $1,316/month — this is the part where it gets real — , which is lower than most cities in this ranking. The cost index is 77. Income sits at $55,305. Moving on.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours. Solidly above average.
#1 Ranked: Pueblo — cost index 77, rent $1,316/mo, income $55,305
11 of 11 cities keep rent under 30% of $100K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
111,077 residents · Colorado
Here's Pueblo by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 77. Rent: $1,316/month. Income: $55,305/year. Home price: $283,780. Population: 111,077. The strongest category is Housing at 77; the most expensive is Healthcare at 95. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $6,948 per year vs. the national median. Year over year, that savings rate is portfolio-grade.
112,609 residents · Colorado
Why Greeley ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. That tracks. At 84 on the cost index, residents save roughly 27% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,442/month while the median household pulls in $68,650/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 84, though Healthcare (97) lags behind. Home prices average $418,757 — $48,613 below the national median (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
488,664 residents · Colorado
Why Colorado Springs ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 97 on the cost index, residents save roughly 14% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,667/month while the median household pulls in $83,198/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 97, though Healthcare (99) lags behind. Home prices average $446,132 — $21,238 below the national median.
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
In plain English: the #5 spot goes to Lakewood, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,733/month — saving renters $1,944 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 100, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 101. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
| Rank | City | Median Rent | Rent % of Gross | Cost Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pueblo | $1,316 | 16% | 77 | Details |
| 2 | Greeley | $1,442 | 17% | 84 | Details |
| 3 | Colorado Springs | $1,667 | 20% | 97 | Details |
| 4 | Aurora | $1,689 | 20% | 99 | Details |
| 5 | Lakewood | $1,733 | 21% | 101 | Details |
| 6 | Westminster | $1,788 | 21% | 104 | Details |
| 7 | Denver | $1,818 | 22% | 106 | Details |
| 8 | Thornton | $1,888 | 23% | 110 | Details |
| 9 | Fort Collins | $1,970 | 24% | 115 | Details |
| 10 | Arvada | $2,053 | 25% | 120 | Details |
| 11 | Centennial | $2,056 | 25% | 120 | Details |
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Pueblo | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
2Greeley | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
3Colorado Springs | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
4Aurora | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
5Lakewood | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
6Westminster | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
7Denver | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
8Thornton | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
9Fort Collins | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
10Arvada | 4.4% | 7.81% | 0.49% | $70,897 |
We model what a $100K salary looks like after taxes in each city: federal income tax (marginal brackets), FICA (7.65%), and state income tax. Then we compare take-home against local rent and costs to determine where the salary stretches furthest. 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.
Pueblo ranks #1 in Colorado for this analysis with a cost index of 77 and median income of $55,305.
Yes. On a $100K salary in Pueblo, rent would consume about 16% of your gross monthly income. Financial experts recommend keeping rent under 30%. You're well within that guideline.
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.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 4.4% state income tax, estimated take-home on $100K in Pueblo is approximately $70,897/year ($5,908/month). After median rent of $1,316/month, you'd have roughly $55,105/year for all other expenses.
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.