West ranking
21 Colorado cities ranked by cost of living, cheapest first.
Index 86
Index 122
Sorted by cost-of-living index — lowest (most affordable) first.
| # | City | Cost index | Median rent | Median income | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pueblo | 86 | $940/mo | $52,794 | 111K | Compare → |
| 2 | Grand Junction | 92 | $1,007/mo | $62,993 | 66K | Compare → |
| 3 | Greeley | 103 | $1,208/mo | $65,525 | 108K | Compare → |
| 4 | Colorado Springs | 105 | $1,464/mo | $79,026 | 480K | Compare → |
| 5 | Fort Collins | 107 | $1,576/mo | $78,977 | 169K | Compare → |
| 6 | Loveland | 107 | $1,595/mo | $81,898 | 77K | Compare → |
| 7 | Commerce City | 118 | $1,540/mo | $96,484 | 63K | Compare → |
| 8 | Littleton | 118 | $1,554/mo | $90,273 | 46K | Compare → |
| 9 | Aurora | 119 | $1,651/mo | $78,685 | 387K | Compare → |
| 10 | Denver | 119 | $1,665/mo | $85,853 | 711K | Compare → |
| 11 | Lakewood | 119 | $1,665/mo | $82,786 | 156K | Compare → |
| 12 | Westminster | 119 | $1,732/mo | $90,651 | 116K | Compare → |
| 13 | Thornton | 119 | $1,758/mo | $95,064 | 142K | Compare → |
| 14 | Castle Rock | 119 | $1,810/mo | $135,985 | 74K | Compare → |
| 15 | Parker | 119 | $1,885/mo | $126,615 | 59K | Compare → |
| 16 | Arvada | 119 | $1,706/mo | $106,014 | 123K | Compare → |
| 17 | Centennial | 119 | $1,949/mo | $124,617 | 108K | Compare → |
| 18 | Broomfield | 120 | $1,923/mo | $117,541 | 74K | Compare → |
| 19 | Highlands Ranch | 121 | $2,353/mo | $148,227 | 102K | Compare → |
| 20 | Longmont | 122 | $1,689/mo | $89,720 | 98K | Compare → |
| 21 | Boulder | 122 | $1,853/mo | $80,243 | 107K | Compare → |
Colorado has a handful of real selling points, and they're concrete rather than vague. Colorado pays better than the typical state and big-city jobs and amenities, in-state are the headliners, plus 3 more.
Across our Colorado city data, typical household income lands near $93,808. That's above the national median, which puts more cushion under whatever the local cost of living happens to be.
Living in Colorado comes with access to Denver, a city of roughly 710,800 with the infrastructure that follows from real urban scale. The benefit isn't just for the people inside the city limits — the airport, hospitals, and labor market serve most of the state.
Colorado has 21 cities in our ranking, covering a real spread of size, density, and cost. People talk about a state like it's monolithic; in practice, the place you actually live varies a lot, and Colorado gives you a real menu to pick from.
Mountains are part of the everyday view in Colorado, not a destination. That means cheaper proximity to skiing, hiking, and fishing than most of the country, and a culture that's tilted toward time outside whether you signed up for it or not.
Cold-winter climates aren't for everyone, but for people who like the seasons to be different from each other, Colorado delivers. Snow accumulates, lakes freeze, fires get used for warmth and not just decoration — and spring genuinely feels like a relief when it arrives.
Reasons reflect aggregated city data for Colorado (Census ACS, BLS, BEA) plus well-known state-level geography. We only list points that are actually supported — different states show different sections.
Across Colorado, Pueblo is the most affordable city we track (cost index 86, with median rent around $940/mo), while Boulder sits at the top of the range with an index of 122—roughly 42% pricier than Pueblo. Use the table above to compare any Colorado city directly against Pueblo.
The other end of the ranking — priciest first.