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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The remote work era changed the math: earn a tech salary, live in an affordable market. We analyzed 11 cities across Colorado for that equation. Pueblo — cost index 94, utilities 86, rent $1,316/mo — leads (that's pre-tax, of course).
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pueblo | 94 | $1,316 | Details |
| 2 | Denver | 113 | $1,818 | Details |
| 3 | Colorado Springs | 107 | $1,667 | Details |
| 4 | Aurora | 108 | $1,689 | Details |
| 5 | Fort Collins | 117 | $1,970 | Details |
| 6 | Lakewood | 114 | $1,733 | Details |
| 7 | Thornton | 113 | $1,888 | Details |
| 8 | Westminster | 112 | $1,788 | Details |
| 9 | Arvada | 121 | $2,053 | Details |
| 10 | Centennial | 122 | $2,056 | Details |
| 11 | Greeley | 102 | $1,442 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Pueblo — cost index 94, rent $1,316/mo, income $55,305
Remote-worker scoring: cost index 94, utilities index 86, income $55,305 — maximizing geographic arbitrage
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The remote work era changed the math: earn a tech salary, live in an affordable market. We analyzed 11 cities across Colorado for that equation. Pueblo — cost index 94, utilities 86, rent $1,316/mo — leads (that's pre-tax, of course).
Why Pueblo ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 94 on the cost index, residents save roughly 18% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,316/month while the median household pulls in $55,305/year. The Housing category is particularly strong at 85, though Healthcare (97) lags behind. Home prices average $283,780 — $183,590 below the national median.
Remote workers profit from geographic arbitrage. Our model scores cost index (20pts), local income as a proxy for economic infrastructure (15pts), and utility costs (10pts) — because when your living room is your office, reliable affordable internet and power matter. Pueblo scores highest with a 94 cost index and 86 utilities index. Denver offers a different cost profile. I'll say what the data can't: this city punches above its weight in ways that don't show up in a spreadsheet. There's a reason people who move here tend to stay. You can call it quality of life, you can call it vibes, whatever — the point is, the cost structure gives people room to actually enjoy where they live, and that's increasingly rare in this country.
If the first stat impressed you, this one grounds it. Here's the state-level backdrop: Colorado averages a 111 cost index, $1,765/mo — not a number you see very often, by the way — rent, and $90,112 income across 11 cities. That's $130 less than the national rent average. Outdoor lifestyle with a rising price tag — and that context shapes every city in this ranking.
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.
111,077 residents · Colorado
Look, What does daily life actually cost in Pueblo? Start with the 29% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. On the category level, Housing (index 85) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 97) 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 (that's pre-tax, of course).
716,577 residents · Colorado
Dive into Denver's numbers: cost index 113 (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.
488,664 residents · Colorado
Put it this way: Why Colorado Springs ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 107 on the cost index, residents save roughly 5% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,667/month while the median household pulls in $83,198/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 98, though Housing (118) lags behind. Home prices average $446,132 — $21,238 below the national median.
395,052 residents · Colorado
A closer look at Aurora: the cost index of 108 breaks down to a Utilities index of 99 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 120 (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.
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 #5 for clear reasons.
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to remote workers. 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.
Pueblo ranks #1 in Colorado for this analysis with a cost index of 94 and median income of $55,305.
Pueblo scores highest for remote workers due to its below-average cost of living, median rent of $1,316/mo, and competitive 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 94 and rent of $1,316/mo, while Greeley (ranked #11) has a cost index of 102 and rent of $1,442/mo — a 8-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.