Overall
101.1
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
Cost-of-living indicators for Fort Collins-Loveland, CO, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 101.1
- Overall RPP
- #65
- of 387 metros
- 120.6
- Rents RPP
- $99K
- $100K national buys
Fort Collins ranks #65 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has risen 3.9 points since 2008.
- rising since 2008
- similar cost to Kenosha
The verdict
Fort Collins is more expensive than 83% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 101.1, 1.1% above the national average, led by rents at 120.6.
- top 17%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.1
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 82.2
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $98,885 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $101,128.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has been trending upward, increasing by 3.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index jumped 5.9 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Fort Collins overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.2 |
| 2009 | 103.1 |
| 2010 | 101.3 |
| 2011 | 103.3 |
| 2012 | 104.7 |
| 2013 | 103.2 |
| 2014 | 103.2 |
| 2015 | 101.7 |
| 2016 | 101.4 |
| 2017 | 104.4 |
| 2018 | 100.9 |
| 2019 | 102.2 |
| 2020 | 98.5 |
| 2021 | 97.6 |
| 2022 | 98.2 |
| 2023 | 97.3 |
| 2024 | 101.1 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Fort Collins's overall RPP rose +3.8 points, from 97.3 in 2023 to 101.1 in 2024. The largest category movement was overall cost, changing from 97.3 to 101.1. 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:
$101,128
in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$50,564
$75,000 nationally
$75,846
$125,000 nationally
$126,410
$150,000 nationally
$151,692
$200,000 nationally
$202,256
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
10/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
10th 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.
Fort Collins vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
101 Top 17% higher than 83% 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
Fort Collins cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
120.6 RPP
- Services
Services
82.2 RPP
- Overall
Overall
101.1 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.1 RPP
What this shows Fort Collins's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 120.6 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 82.2. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Fort Collins's cost comes from
Metros near Fort Collins's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Fort Collins (Fort Collins, this metro): goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 120.6
- Kenosha: goods RPP 106.2, rents RPP 95.8
- Chico: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 91.9
- Reno: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 123.5
- Charleston: goods RPP 96.3, rents RPP 119.8
- Burlington: goods RPP 97.3, rents RPP 103.8
- Tampa: goods RPP 95.5, rents RPP 125.8
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.1
Below avg
Services
82.2
Cheap
Rents
120.6
Expensive
Housing-led cost profile
How Fort Collins's cost structure works
Housing is the defining pressure in Fort Collins: rents index at 120.6, the furthest component above the national benchmark. The overall index of 101.1 places Fort Collins in the top quartile for cost; the rent line explains why a similar headline RPP can still require a different housing budget.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Salt Lake City-Murray, UT, Ogden, UT. They resemble Fort Collins 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, Fort Collins's overall index has risen by 3.9 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.
CO-relative analysis
Goods prices places Fort Collins-Loveland, CO near the bottom of CO's metros
Among the 7 CO metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Fort Collins-Loveland, CO ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Fort Collins-Loveland, CO only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 7
0th percentile in CO
Services prices
#5 of 7
29th percentile in CO
Rent prices
#3 of 7
57th 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 Fort Collins-Loveland, 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 (101.1 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (120.6 here).
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Rents 120.4 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Rents 121.2 Kahului-Wailuku, HI Rents 119.2 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Rents 118.2 Ogden, UT Rents 117.9 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Rents 117.9 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT Rents 123.3 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Rents 123.4
Other CO Metros
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 105.8 Boulder, CO 105.2 Colorado Springs, CO 100.7 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 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO's index of 101.1.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Fort Collins'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.
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 82.0 · Rents 120.4 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT
Goods 96.4 · Services 79.0 · Rents 123.3 Ogden, UT
Goods 96.4 · Services 78.8 · Rents 117.9 Colorado Springs, CO
Goods 96.1 · Services 83.2 · Rents 116.2 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Goods 96.2 · Services 87.2 · Rents 123.4 Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Goods 96.3 · Services 88.2 · Rents 119.8
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Compare to Other Metros
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
What this means for Fort Collins
How to read Fort Collins'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 $98,885 in Fort Collins. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 120.6, 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 Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO?
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 101.1, meaning it is 1.1% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.1, services at 82.2, and rents at 120.6. It ranks #65 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $101,128 in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO. Conversely, $100K earned in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO has the purchasing power of $98,885 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO?
Rents in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO are indexed at 120.6, which is 20.6% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Fort Collins-Loveland, CO getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Fort Collins-Loveland, CO's overall cost index changed by +3.9 points (from 97.2 to 101.1). The cost of living has been trending upward.
What costs the most in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO?
The priciest category in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO is rents at 120.6, 20.6% above the national average. The most affordable category is services at 82.2, 17.8% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Fort Collins-Loveland, CO?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Kenosha, Chico, Reno. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Fort Collins-Loveland, CO's 101.1.
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.