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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The difference between a comfortable retirement and a tight one often comes down to location. In Colorado — known for outdoor lifestyle with a rising price tag, we evaluated 11 cities on healthcare costs, tax burden, and cost of living. Pueblo is the top pick for 2026.
#1 Ranked: Pueblo — cost index 94, rent $1,316/mo, income $55,305
Retiree-weighted scoring: healthcare index 97, state tax 4.4%, cost index 94 — protecting fixed retirement income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| 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 | Arvada | 121 | $2,053 | Details |
| 9 | Westminster | 112 | $1,788 | Details |
| 10 | Greeley | 102 | $1,442 | Details |
| 11 | Centennial | 122 | $2,056 | Details |
The difference between a comfortable retirement and a tight one often comes down to location. In Colorado — known for outdoor lifestyle with a rising price tag, we evaluated 11 cities on healthcare costs, tax burden, and cost of living. Pueblo is the top pick for 2026.
Retirement affordability is about protecting fixed income. Our model weights healthcare costs at 25 points (medical bills are the #1 financial risk in retirement), cost index at 25 points, and state tax burden at 15 points (taxes directly reduce pension and Social Security income). Pueblo leads with low healthcare costs, a 4.4% state tax rate, and a cost index of 94. Denver offers competitive healthcare and cost metrics. There's an argument to be made — and I think the data supports it — that the cities getting all the attention right now are exactly the wrong places to move. The spotlight drives migration, migration drives demand, demand drives costs, and eventually the value proposition disappears. Meanwhile, cities like this one keep quietly being affordable, and the people who find them early are the ones who benefit most.
Pueblo earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. About what you'd guess. The 94 cost index sits 18 points below the national baseline, and the $55,305 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $283,780 — $183,590 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Housing leads the way at 85, while Healthcare trails at 97.
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.
111,077 residents · Colorado
The #1 spot goes to Pueblo, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,316/month — we had to double-check this one — — saving renters $6,948 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Housing is the standout at index 85, making it one of the cheapest in the country for that category. The weak spot? Healthcare at 97. A 29% rent-to-income ratio keeps most households inside the safe zone.
716,577 residents · Colorado
Real talk: Why Denver ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 113 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 1% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,818/month while the median household pulls in $91,681/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 104, though Housing (133) lags behind. Home prices average $530,920 — $63,550 above the national median (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
488,664 residents · Colorado
Colorado Springs comes in at #3. Rent is $1,667 a month. Household income is $83,198. The cost of living index is 107. You get the picture.
395,052 residents · Colorado
Why Aurora ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 108 on the cost index, residents save roughly 4% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,689/month while the median household pulls in $84,320/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 99, though Housing (120) lags behind. Home prices average $458,953 — $8,417 below the national median.
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 retirees. 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 retirees 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 Centennial (ranked #11) has a cost index of 122 and rent of $2,056/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 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.