Overall
100.7
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Colorado Springs, CO
Cost-of-living indicators for Colorado Springs, CO, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 100.7
- Overall RPP
- #76
- of 387 metros
- 116.2
- Rents RPP
- $99K
- $100K national buys
Colorado Springs ranks #76 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 2.7 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Kingston
The verdict
Colorado Springs is more expensive than 80% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 100.7, 0.7% above the national average, led by services at 83.2.
- top 20%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.1
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 83.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $99,298 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $100,707.
Colorado Springs vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
101 Top 20% higher than 80% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Colorado Springs cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
116.2 RPP
- Services
Services
83.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
100.7 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.1 RPP
What this shows Colorado Springs's strongest departure is services at 83.2; rents follows at 116.2. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Colorado Springs's cost comes from
Metros near Colorado Springs's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs, this metro): goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 116.2
- Kingston: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 110.2
- Redding: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 89.4
- Lexington Park: goods RPP 99.7, rents RPP 103.8
- Salt Lake City: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 123.3
- Ann Arbor: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 125.3
- Bakersfield: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 90.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.1
Below avg
Services
83.2
Cheap
Rents
116.2
Expensive
Service-cost relief profile
How Colorado Springs's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Colorado Springs: their index is 83.2, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 100.7 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Greeley, CO, Fort Collins-Loveland, CO, Port St. Lucie, FL. They resemble Colorado Springs across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Colorado Springs's overall index has risen by 2.7 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 2.7 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 4.1 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Colorado Springs overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 98.0 |
| 2009 | 101.5 |
| 2010 | 99.1 |
| 2011 | 102.5 |
| 2012 | 102.2 |
| 2013 | 101.3 |
| 2014 | 101.1 |
| 2015 | 99.7 |
| 2016 | 99.0 |
| 2017 | 102.0 |
| 2018 | 97.9 |
| 2019 | 100.3 |
| 2020 | 98.6 |
| 2021 | 96.5 |
| 2022 | 96.8 |
| 2023 | 98.1 |
| 2024 | 100.7 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Colorado Springs's overall RPP rose +2.6 points, from 98.1 in 2023 to 100.7 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 123.2 to 116.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$100,707
in Colorado Springs, CO purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,353
$75,000 nationally
$75,530
$125,000 nationally
$125,884
$150,000 nationally
$151,061
$200,000 nationally
$201,414
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
12/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
12th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Colorado Springs's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Greeley, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 82.0 · Rents 112.6 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 82.2 · Rents 120.6 Port St. Lucie, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.0 · Rents 113.6 Ogden, UT
Goods 96.4 · Services 78.8 · Rents 117.9 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 82.0 · Rents 120.4 Punta Gorda, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.3 · Rents 113.3
CO-relative analysis
Goods prices places Colorado Springs, CO near the bottom of CO's metros
Among the 7 CO metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Colorado Springs, CO ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Colorado Springs, CO only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 7
0th percentile in CO
Services prices
#3 of 7
57th percentile in CO
Rent prices
#4 of 7
43rd percentile in CO
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within CO only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Colorado Springs, CO: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (100.7 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (116.2 here).
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY Rents 115.8 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA Rents 116.7 Stockton-Lodi, CA Rents 115.6 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV Rents 115.5 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA Rents 115.0 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Rents 117.9 Ogden, UT Rents 117.9 Corvallis, OR Rents 114.4
Other CO Metros
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 105.8 Boulder, CO 105.2 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 101.1 Greeley, CO 100.2 Grand Junction, CO 95.5 Pueblo, CO 91.8
View all CO metros → Cheapest in CO → Most expensive in CO →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Colorado Springs, CO's index of 100.7.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
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What this means for Colorado Springs
How to read Colorado Springs's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $99,298 in Colorado Springs. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 83.2, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Colorado Springs head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Colorado Springs, CO?
Colorado Springs, CO has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 100.7, meaning it is 0.7% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.1, services at 83.2, and rents at 116.2. It ranks #76 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Colorado Springs, CO to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $100,707 in Colorado Springs, CO. Conversely, $100K earned in Colorado Springs, CO has the purchasing power of $99,298 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Colorado Springs, CO?
Rents in Colorado Springs, CO are indexed at 116.2, which is 16.2% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Colorado Springs, CO getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Colorado Springs, CO's overall cost index changed by +2.7 points (from 98.0 to 100.7). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Colorado Springs, CO?
The priciest category in Colorado Springs, CO is rents at 116.2, 16.2% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 83.2, 16.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Colorado Springs, CO?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Kingston, Redding, Lexington Park. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Colorado Springs, CO's 100.7.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.