Moving to Colorado from Arizona
What to Expect
Considering a move from Arizona to Colorado? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Arizona to Colorado, you would find that Colorado is 12.1% more expensive than Arizona. A $75,000 salary in Arizona would need to be roughly $83,343 in Colorado to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Denver averages 65°F vs 87°F in Phoenix, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Arizona and Colorado.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $83,343
To maintain the same standard of living in Colorado
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 4.2% more
Groceries
pay 9.0% more
Transportation
pay 12.4% more
Housing
pay 1.8% more
Childcare
pay 32.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.3% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Colorado cost about 10% more than cities in Arizona.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Colorado compared to Arizona.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Arizona performs better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Colorado performs significantly better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Arizona performs better than Colorado across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Arizona generally does better on infrastructure, though Colorado leads in internet access.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Colorado performs significantly better than Arizona across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Colorado performs significantly better than Arizona 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.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Phoenix | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Phoenix | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) |
| Feb | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) |
| Apr | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) |
| May | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) |
| Jul | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) |
| Aug | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) |
| Nov | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) |
| Dec | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Colorado than Arizona?
On average Colorado is around 11% pricier than Arizona, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Colorado?
Budget about $20,836 for 3 months in Colorado (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Colorado safe?
Arizona performs better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Colorado compared to Arizona?
Colorado performs significantly better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Colorado compared to Arizona?
The average high temperature in Denver is 65°F, compared to 87°F in Phoenix. Denver receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Phoenix gets 8.2 in.
