Cost of Living in Colorado
What it costs to live in Colorado, how much tax you'll pay, and what common jobs keep after rent and everyday costs.
- Population
- 5,957,494
- Median household income
- $97,113
- State income tax
- Flat 4.4%
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 103.1
What a typical paycheck keeps in Colorado
The typical Colorado worker earns $59,800 (BLS). After taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, $11,437 is left. Pick a city for local rents and pay.
- Typical salary
- $59,800
- Federal income tax
- −$4,996
- Payroll taxes
- −$4,838
- State income tax
- −$1,923
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$19,272
- Everyday costs
- −$17,334
a year, or $953 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS statewide median. Rent: HUD FY2027, population-weighted across Colorado.
Cost of living in Colorado
Prices across Colorado run 3% above the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Housing27% above the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)1% below the US average
- Utilities15% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)About the same as the US average
- All items3% above the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $1,606 | $19,272 |
| Food | $487 | $5,844 |
| Transportation | $385 | $4,620 |
| Healthcare | $351 | $4,212 |
| Utilities | $221 | $2,652 |
| Total before taxes | $3,050 | $36,600 |
Rent is the statewide average of county fair market rents, weighted by population. City rents differ.
Colorado taxes
State income tax, single filer (2026)
| Taxable income over | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 | 4.4% |
Payroll programs withheld from wages
- FAMLI (paid family and medical leave)0.4% up to $184,500
Colorado starts from federal taxable income, so the federal standard deduction applies. Temporary TABOR rate reductions, when triggered, are not modelled.
Taxes on the median household income
$97,113 of wages, one single filer (Census 2024 median).
| Federal income tax | −$12,535 |
| Payroll taxes | −$7,856 |
| State income tax | −$3,565 |
| Effective tax rate | 24.7% |
Cities in Colorado
What a typical worker keeps after taxes, rent and everyday costs in each Colorado city we cover.
What common jobs keep in Colorado
The 15 jobs that keep the most: statewide median pay, and what's left after taxes, a statewide 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer | $168,520 | $82,396 |
| Dentist | $166,240 | $80,947 |
| Pharmacist salary in Colorado | $156,030 | $74,463 |
| Software engineer salary in Colorado | $138,390 | $63,259 |
| Physician assistant | $134,540 | $60,815 |
| Nurse practitioner | $132,930 | $59,792 |
| Veterinarian | $130,840 | $58,464 |
| Mechanical engineer | $124,430 | $54,394 |
| Data scientist | $117,400 | $49,841 |
| Speech-language pathologist | $110,750 | $45,484 |
| Project manager | $110,050 | $45,026 |
| Dental hygienist salary in Colorado | $109,580 | $44,718 |
| Occupational therapist | $106,720 | $42,845 |
| Lineman | $103,980 | $41,049 |
| Financial analyst | $103,850 | $40,965 |
Salary pages in Colorado, A–Z
Pay range, what’s kept and the best cities for each job.
- Accountant salary
- Auto mechanic
- Carpenter
- Civil engineer
- Data scientist
- Dental assistant
- Dental hygienist salary
- Dentist
- Diesel mechanic
- Electrician salary
- Financial analyst
- Firefighter
- HVAC technician
- Lawyer
- Licensed practical nurse
- Lineman
- Mechanical engineer
- Medical assistant
- Nurse practitioner
- Nursing assistant
- Occupational therapist
- Paralegal
- Paramedic
- Pharmacist salary
- Pharmacy technician
- Physical therapist salary
- Physician assistant
- Plumber
- Police officer salary
- Project manager
- Radiologic technologist
- Registered nurse salary
- Respiratory therapist
- Social worker
- Software engineer salary
- Speech-language pathologist
- Teacher salary
- Truck driver salary
- Veterinarian
- Welder
Top-paying jobs in Colorado
Median pay, jobs with at least 1,000 workers (BLS OEWS). Linked jobs have a salary page.
| Job | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $307,490 |
| Physicians, All Other | $298,320 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $265,560 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $199,420 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $183,810 |
| Marketing Managers | $182,730 |
| Financial Managers | $182,690 |
| Sales Managers | $180,850 |
| Petroleum Engineers | $172,190 |
| Purchasing Managers | $171,250 |
| Managers, All Other | $171,140 |
| Lawyers | $168,520 |
| Human Resources Managers | $166,400 |
| Dentists, General | $166,240 |
| Administrative Services Managers | $157,000 |
Living in Colorado
Colorado against the US (Census Bureau, ACS 2024).
| Measure | Colorado | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $574,600 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,822 | $1,487 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 9.6% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 47.8% | 36.9% |
| Average commute, one way | 25.7 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 19.9% | 13.3% |
Nearby states
Compare Colorado with another state or city: what a job keeps in each, side by side.
Questions people ask
What is the cost of living in Colorado?
Prices in Colorado are 3% above the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). The statewide fair market rent for a 1-bedroom is $1,606 a month (HUD, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person come to about $1,445 a month.
Does Colorado have a state income tax?
Yes. Colorado's income tax rate is flat 4.4%. On a typical wage of $59,800, a single filer pays about $1,923 a year in state income tax.
How much do you need to earn to live in Colorado?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom at the statewide fair market rent needs about $44,700 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs. The typical worker in Colorado earns $59,800 and keeps $11,437 after those costs.
Where in Colorado does a paycheck go furthest?
Of the Colorado cities we cover, a typical worker keeps the most in Aurora ($9,803 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs) and the least in Fort Collins ($7,905).
What jobs pay the most in Colorado?
Among jobs with at least 1,000 workers, the highest median pay in Colorado goes to Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($307,490); Physicians, All Other ($298,320); Family Medicine Physicians ($265,560) (BLS OEWS).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
- HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by state, 2024
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate