Most Expensive Cities in Colorado: 2024 Metro Ranking
Compare the most expensive cities and metro areas in Colorado, ranked by the 2024 BEA cost-of-living index. 7 metro areas are available.
Where the Premium Lives in Colorado
Housing creates the strongest upward pressure in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, at 146.9 against the national benchmark of 100. Its other components are local services 87.9 and tradable goods 101.0, so the top metro's premium is not interchangeable with a market led by another budget category.
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO and Boulder, CO form a photo finish at the top, separated by only 0.6 RPP points. The useful signal is the cluster rather than the nominal first-place label; small release revisions could change their order without changing the state's expensive-market tier.
Below the leader, the next comparison tier is Boulder, CO, Fort Collins-Loveland, CO, Colorado Springs, CO. Their order comes from overall RPP, while the table keeps goods, services, and rents visible so a reader can reject a superficially similar market with the wrong cost mix.
5 of 7 listed metros exceed the U.S. benchmark, so Colorado crosses the national line. That mixed result makes the metro name more decision-relevant than the statewide label.
At Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO's price level, a national-average $100,000 lifestyle translates to about $105,782. Treat that as a purchasing-power screen, then verify occupation pay, current HUD rent, and state tax treatment before comparing an offer.
| # | Metro | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 105.8 |
| 2 | Boulder, CO | 105.2 |
| 3 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 101.1 |
| 4 | Colorado Springs, CO | 100.7 |
| 5 | Greeley, CO | 100.2 |
| 6 | Grand Junction, CO | 95.5 |
| 7 | Pueblo, CO | 91.8 |
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO has the highest overall Regional Price Parity in this Colorado ranking at 105.8. The national average is 100, so this comparison identifies the highest relative price level among the metro areas BEA reports; it does not estimate a household budget or explain why local prices differ.
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO ranks first of 7 listed Colorado metro areas by overall cost
- 5 of 7 listed metros are above the U.S. price-level benchmark
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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.