Denver vs. Colorado Springs
Denver, CO · Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado Springs is 15% cheaper than Denver overall.
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Home Price
CO: $565,000
CO: $420,000
Monthly Rent
CO: $1,395/mo
CO: $995/mo
COL Index
CO: 121
CO: 103
Median Income
CO: $85,200
CO: $71,200
Side-by-Side Comparison
Median Home Price
Monthly Rent (Median)
Median Household Income
Property Tax Rate
Cost of Living Index
100 = national average
Avg. Commute
Unemployment Rate
Median Age
What This Means For You
Headline insight
Buying Power
A $100,000 salary in Denver has the same purchasing power as $85,124 in Colorado Springs— based on each city's cost of living index.
Housing
Homes in Colorado Springs cost 26% more (-$145,000 extra). Expect a larger mortgage and down payment.
Renting
Renting in Colorado Springs saves $400/month — $4,800 per year. Median rent: $1,395/mo in Denver vs $995/mo in Colorado Springs.
Property Taxes
On a median-priced home, Denver owners pay roughly $3,108/year vs $2,310/year in Colorado Springs. Rates are comparable.
Local Earnings
Median household income is $85,200 in Denver and $71,200 in Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs residents earn 16% more — but factor in cost of living.
Daily Commute
Average commute is 26 minutes in Denver vs 24 minutes in Colorado Springs. Commute times are nearly identical.
Salary Equivalence
To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Denver to Colorado Springs, here's the salary you'd need:
| Salary in Denver | Equivalent in Colorado Springs | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $42,562 | -$7,438 |
| $75,000 | $63,843 | -$11,157 |
| $100,000 | $85,124 | -$14,876 |
| $150,000 | $127,686 | -$22,314 |
| $200,000 | $170,248 | -$29,752 |
* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.
Run the Numbers
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Rent vs Buy
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Cost of Living
Full cost of living comparison tool
Home Appreciation
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Property Tax Calculator
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Denver vs Colorado Springs: Common Questions
Is Denver or Colorado Springs cheaper to live in?
Based on cost of living indices, Colorado Springs is cheaper overall. Denver has a COL index of 121 while Colorado Springs scores 103 (national average = 100).
How do home prices compare between Denver and Colorado Springs?
The median home price in Denver is $565,000 vs $420,000 in Colorado Springs — a difference of $145,000 (26%).
What salary do I need in Colorado Springs to match my Denver income?
Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Denver is equivalent to $85,124 in Colorado Springs in terms of purchasing power.
Which city has lower property taxes?
Colorado Springs has a lower property tax rate (0.55% vs 0.55%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $2,310/year vs $3,108/year.
How does rent compare in Denver vs Colorado Springs?
Median monthly rent: $1,395 in Denver vs $995 in Colorado Springs. Annualized: $16,740 vs $11,940.
What is the median household income in each city?
Denver: $85,200/yr. Colorado Springs: $71,200/yr (Census ACS).
Which city is better for remote workers?
Lower-cost Colorado Springs typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.
Where does the data on this comparison come from?
Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.
How often is this comparison updated?
Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.
Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?
No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.
Sources & Citations
- Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
- Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
- Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions
City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].
The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.
Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.
Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.
Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.
Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.
Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed .