Moving to Colorado from Alabama

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Alabama to Colorado — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Alabama to Colorado, you would find that Colorado is 26.2% more expensive than Alabama. A $75,000 salary in Alabama would need to be roughly $99,105 in Colorado to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Denver averages 65°F vs 76°F in Montgomery, making it significantly cooler.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Alabama to Colorado.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $99,105

To maintain the same standard of living in Colorado

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 22.6% more

Groceries

pay 7.5% more

Transportation

pay 22.9% more

Housing

pay 51.3% more

Childcare

pay 27.0% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 24.8% more

See full cost of living breakdown

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Key Indicator Comparison

How Alabama and Colorado stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AL
397
CO
463
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

AL
1671
CO
2814

Alabama performs better than Colorado across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

AL
9.0%
CO
7.3%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

AL
39.6%
CO
26.3%

Colorado performs significantly better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

AL
$195,100
CO
$502,200
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

AL
$963
CO
$1,693

Alabama performs better than Colorado across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

AL
85.9%
CO
92.9%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

AL
25 min
CO
26 min

Alabama generally does better on infrastructure, though Colorado leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

AL
2.3%
CO
3.6%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

AL
$49,225
CO
$74,650

Colorado generally does better on employment & economy, though Alabama leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

AL
73.2 yrs
CO
78.3 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

AL
18%
CO
30%

Colorado performs significantly better than Alabama across all family life metrics.

Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Montgomery Rain: 53.1 in/yr (1348 mm)
76° / 54°F

Avg. annual high / low

Denver Rain: 14.3 in/yr (363 mm)
65° / 36°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Montgomery Denver
Jan–Mar 63°/40°F (17°/4°C) 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C)
Apr–Jun 84°/60°F (29°/16°C) 72°/43°F (22°/6°C)
Jul–Sep 90°/69°F (32°/21°C) 85°/55°F (29°/13°C)
Oct–Dec 69°/45°F (21°/7°C) 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C)
View all months
Month Montgomery Denver
Jan 57°/36°F (14.1°/2.1°C) 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C)
Feb 62°/39°F (16.6°/4.0°C) 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C)
Mar 70°/45°F (20.9°/7.4°C) 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C)
Apr 77°/52°F (24.8°/10.9°C) 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C)
May 84°/61°F (28.9°/15.9°C) 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C)
Jun 90°/68°F (32.1°/20.1°C) 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C)
Jul 92°/71°F (33.4°/21.9°C) 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C)
Aug 92°/71°F (33.3°/21.7°C) 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C)
Sep 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C)
Oct 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C)
Nov 69°/44°F (20.6°/6.6°C) 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C)
Dec 60°/37°F (15.3°/3.0°C) 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Colorado than Alabama?

Day-to-day costs in Colorado run about 32% higher than Alabama on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Colorado?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $24,776 in Colorado for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Colorado safe?

Alabama performs better than Colorado across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Colorado compared to Alabama?

Colorado performs significantly better than Alabama across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Colorado compared to Alabama?

The average high temperature in Denver is 65°F, compared to 76°F in Montgomery. Denver receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Montgomery gets 53.1 in.

Share this