Cost of living comparison
compared to
Fort Collins vs. Denver Cost of Living Summary
Fort Collins is 5.7% cheaper than Denver.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.4% more in Fort Collins
- Groceries
-
pay 21.3% less in Fort Collins
- Transportation
-
pay 1.4% less in Fort Collins
- Housing
-
pay 6.6% less in Fort Collins
- Childcare
-
pay 12.8% less in Fort Collins
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.2% less in Fort Collins
- Clothing
-
pay 13.7% more in Fort Collins
The cost of clothing and restaurants in Fort Collins are more expensive than in Denver. Expenses including groceries, entertainment and sports, childcare, housing, and transportation are lower in Fort Collins.
Fort Collins vs. Denver Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Fort Collins instead of Denver, you would:
pay 1.4% more for restaurants
|
Denver
|
Fort Collins
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$18.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.92
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.20
|
$2.75
|
|
Denver vs. Fort Collins - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.3% less for groceries
|
Denver
|
Fort Collins
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.11
|
$3.09
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.44
|
$5.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.91
|
$3.89
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.37
|
$4.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.32
|
$3.90
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.43
|
$1.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.89
|
$0.70
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$1.95
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.57
|
$2.28
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.05
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.20
|
$0.87
|
|
Denver vs. Fort Collins - Cost of groceries
pay 1.4% less for transportation
|
Denver
|
Fort Collins
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.34
|
$3.09
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$88.00
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,514.56
|
$36,029.12
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.42
|
$17.41
|
|
Denver vs. Fort Collins - Cost of transportation
pay 6.6% less for housing
|
Denver
|
Fort Collins
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$64.18
|
$76.67
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,128.00
|
$1,783.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,704.17
|
$1,250.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$131.92
|
$127.72
|
|
Denver vs. Fort Collins - Cost of housing
pay 12.8% less for childcare
|
Denver
|
Fort Collins
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,571.72
|
$1,525.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,168.00
|
$12,500.00
|
|
Denver vs. Fort Collins - Cost of childcare
pay 13.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Denver
|
Fort Collins
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.51
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.00
|
$9.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$69.09
|
$60.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$12.00
|
|
Denver vs. Fort Collins - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.7% more for clothing
|
Denver
|
Fort Collins
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.26
|
$67.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.78
|
$91.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$103.45
|
$80.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.58
|
$108.33
|
|
Denver vs. Fort Collins - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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