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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while Colorado trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Centennial at index 122 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Colorado.
#1 Ranked: Centennial — cost index 122, rent $2,056/mo, income $128,167
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
Premium market, smart picks: while Colorado trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Centennial at index 122 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Colorado.
What does daily life actually cost in Centennial? Start with the 19% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. And as a general rule, on the category level, Utilities (index 112) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 155) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $128,167 — for better or worse — and homes at $638,401 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
The ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Centennial (index 122, rent $2,056); Arvada (index 121, rent $2,053); Fort Collins (index 117, rent $1,970). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
In plain English: Zooming out, State context matters: Colorado's 11 cities average a 111 cost index with $1,765/month median rent and $90,112 household income. Outdoor lifestyle with a rising price tag. One number below changes this entire conversation.
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. The math checks out.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centennial | 122 | $2,056 | Details |
| 2 | Arvada | 121 | $2,053 | Details |
| 3 | Fort Collins | 117 | $1,970 | Details |
| 4 | Lakewood | 114 | $1,733 | Details |
| 5 | Denver | 113 | $1,818 | Details |
| 6 | Thornton | 113 | $1,888 | Details |
| 7 | Westminster | 112 | $1,788 | Details |
| 8 | Aurora | 108 | $1,689 | Details |
| 9 | Colorado Springs | 107 | $1,667 | Details |
| 10 | Greeley | 102 | $1,442 | Details |
| 11 | Pueblo | 94 | $1,316 | Details |
106,883 residents · Colorado
Here's Centennial by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 122. Rent: $2,056/month. Income: $128,167/year. Home price: $638,401. Population: 106,883. The strongest category is Utilities at 112; the most expensive is Housing at 155. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $1,932 more per year vs. the national median. For dual-income households, this multiplies into serious savings.
121,414 residents · Colorado
The #2 spot goes to Arvada, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $2,053/month — costing renters $1,896 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 111, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 152. At a 22% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
170,376 residents · Colorado
What does daily life actually cost in Fort Collins? Start with the 28% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Utilities (index 108) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 142) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $83,598 and homes at $556,327 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons.
155,961 residents · Colorado
A closer look at Lakewood: the cost index of 114 breaks down to a Utilities index of 104 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 134 (weakest). Median rent is $1,733/month — 9% below the national median — while household income sits at $85,789, meaning locals spend about 24% of income on rent. That's a healthy margin by any standard.
716,577 residents · Colorado
The numbers for Denver are straightforward: 113 on the cost index, $1,818/month rent, $91,681 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. It lines up with what you'd expect.
Cities are ranked by overall cost of living index in descending order. High-cost cities are typically driven by housing prices — a city with an index of 150 has overall costs roughly 50% above the national median, with housing often 2-3× that premium. 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.
Centennial ranks #1 in Colorado for this analysis with a cost index of 122 and median income of $128,167.
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.
Centennial (ranked #1) has a cost index of 122 and rent of $2,056/mo, while Pueblo (ranked #11) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,316/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 Centennial is $2,056/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $161 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Centennial is $638,401, which is 5.0× 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.