Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Highlands Ranch's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Highlands Ranch?
Your $100,000 in Highlands Ranch has the same purchasing power as $82,843 in the average US city. You'd need $17,157 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Highlands Ranch's cost index of 121, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Highlands Ranch usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: above-average earnings, not just for a few people, low unemployment, plenty of openings, plus 3 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Median household income in Highlands Ranch is $148,227 — well above the US median of roughly $75k. It's a city where high-paying industries (tech, finance, professional services) cluster, and the income distribution tilts noticeably upward relative to most of the country.
At about 3.4% unemployment, Highlands Ranch's labor market is running on the tight side. Easier to land a role, easier to negotiate, easier to leave one job for a better one — the practical things that matter when you're actually looking.
Highlands Ranch reports roughly 809 crime incidents per 100,000 residents, well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. As always, citywide numbers paper over real differences between neighborhoods — but the broader trend here is on the calmer end of the US distribution.
Highlands Ranch's air quality index averages about 35 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
66% of adults 25 and over in Highlands Ranch hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Highlands Ranch's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Highlands Ranch does winter the real way. Averages around 19°F keep snow on the ground for weeks at a time, and lakes and rivers tend to freeze hard enough to walk on.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Highlands Ranch averages roughly 19°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Highlands Ranch runs about 87°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Zone 7, give or take a half-zone. Highlands Ranch's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 7 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
Highlands Ranch sits at about 5,823 feet (1,775 m) above sea level. That's high enough that new arrivals from sea level should expect a real adjustment period: shorter breath, more water than usual, longer cooking times, and meaningful sun protection thanks to the thinner atmosphere.
By the numbers, yes. Highlands Ranch reports roughly 809 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
Yes, noticeably. Highlands Ranch's cost-of-living index runs 121, about 21% above the US baseline. Housing usually accounts for most of the markup; groceries and services run higher too but with less drama.
Not really — Highlands Ranch is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 8 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $84,497 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Highlands Ranch runs about $2,353/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.