Overall
91.8
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Pueblo, CO
Cost-of-living indicators for Pueblo, CO, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 91.8
- Overall RPP
- #251
- of 387 metros
- 71.3
- Rents RPP
- $109K
- $100K national buys
Pueblo ranks #251 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to La Crosse-Onalaska
The verdict
Pueblo costs less than 65% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 91.8, 8.2% below the national average, with rents the biggest swing at 71.3.
- bottom 35%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.1
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 81.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $108,978 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $91,762.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Pueblo's overall RPP fell -1.2 points, from 93.0 in 2023 to 91.8 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 90.0 to 71.3. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index jumped 3.7 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Pueblo overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 91.4 |
| 2009 | 95.0 |
| 2010 | 93.5 |
| 2011 | 96.2 |
| 2012 | 96.2 |
| 2013 | 94.3 |
| 2014 | 92.1 |
| 2015 | 92.6 |
| 2016 | 93.2 |
| 2017 | 94.3 |
| 2018 | 91.0 |
| 2019 | 92.6 |
| 2020 | 90.1 |
| 2021 | 90.6 |
| 2022 | 90.4 |
| 2023 | 93.0 |
| 2024 | 91.8 |
Housing-led affordability profile
How Pueblo's cost structure works
Housing is the strongest affordability offset in Pueblo: rents index at 71.3, the component furthest below the national benchmark. That does not make every local expense low, but it is the clearest explanation for the metro's overall RPP of 91.8.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Birmingham, AL, El Paso, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX. They resemble Pueblo 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, Pueblo's overall index has stayed within 0.4 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.
Pueblo vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
92 Bottom 35% higher than 35% 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
Pueblo cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
71.3 RPP
- Services
Services
81.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
91.8 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.1 RPP
What this shows Pueblo's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 71.3 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 81.9. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Pueblo's cost comes from
Metros near Pueblo's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Pueblo (Pueblo, this metro): goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 71.3
- La Crosse: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 69.4
- Jackson: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 67.1
- Amarillo: goods RPP 93.8, rents RPP 78.4
- Des Moines: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 84.7
- Michigan City: goods RPP 94.3, rents RPP 68.5
- Birmingham: goods RPP 96.4, rents RPP 71.9
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.1
Below avg
Services
81.9
Cheap
Rents
71.3
Cheap
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$91,762
in Pueblo, CO purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$45,881
$75,000 nationally
$68,822
$125,000 nationally
$114,703
$150,000 nationally
$137,643
$200,000 nationally
$183,524
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
C
67/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability C
67th 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.
CO-relative analysis
Goods prices places Pueblo, CO near the bottom of CO's metros
Among the 7 CO metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Pueblo, CO ranks #2 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Pueblo, CO only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#2 of 7
0th percentile in CO
Services prices
#7 of 7
0th percentile in CO
Rent prices
#7 of 7
0th 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 Pueblo, 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 (91.8 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (71.3 here).
Other CO Metros
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 105.8 Boulder, CO 105.2 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 101.1 Colorado Springs, CO 100.7 Greeley, CO 100.2 Grand Junction, CO 95.5
View all CO metros → Cheapest in CO → Most expensive in CO →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Pueblo'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.
Birmingham, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 83.8 · Rents 71.9 El Paso, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 82.6 · Rents 71.2 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
Goods 93.8 · Services 83.1 · Rents 70.9 Cedar Rapids, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 84.0 · Rents 71.4 Rapid City, SD
Goods 95.5 · Services 79.1 · Rents 72.6 Ames, IA
Goods 93.7 · Services 83.0 · Rents 69.2
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Pueblo, CO's index of 91.8.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
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
What this means for Pueblo
How to read Pueblo'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 $108,978 in Pueblo. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 71.3, 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 Pueblo 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 Pueblo, CO?
Pueblo, CO has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 91.8, meaning it is 8.2% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.1, services at 81.9, and rents at 71.3. It ranks #251 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Pueblo, CO to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $91,762 in Pueblo, CO. Conversely, $100K earned in Pueblo, CO has the purchasing power of $108,978 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Pueblo, CO?
Rents in Pueblo, CO are indexed at 71.3, which is 28.7% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Pueblo, CO getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Pueblo, CO's overall cost index changed by +0.4 points (from 91.4 to 91.8). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Pueblo, CO?
The priciest category in Pueblo, CO is goods at 96.1, 3.9% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is rents at 71.3, 28.7% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Pueblo, CO?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include La Crosse-Onalaska, Jackson, Amarillo. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Pueblo, CO's 91.8.
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.