Moving to Colorado from Arkansas
What to Expect
Considering a move from Arkansas to Colorado? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Arkansas to Colorado, you would find that Colorado is 33.5% more expensive than Arkansas. A $75,000 salary in Arkansas would need to be roughly $100,000 in Colorado to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Arkansas and Colorado.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $100,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Colorado
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 6.8% more
Groceries
pay 22.9% more
Transportation
pay 32.6% more
Housing
pay 56.4% more
Childcare
pay 40.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 25.6% 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 26% more than cities in Arkansas.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Colorado compared to Arkansas.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Arkansas generally does better on safety, though Colorado leads in violent crime rate.
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 Arkansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Arkansas generally does better on what about housing?, though Colorado leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Little Rock | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 56°/38°F (13°/3°C) | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 80°/61°F (27°/16°C) | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/70°F (32°/21°C) | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 62°/44°F (17°/7°C) | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Little Rock | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49°/33°F (9.7°/0.4°C) | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) |
| Feb | 54°/36°F (12.4°/2.4°C) | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.8°C) | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) |
| Apr | 73°/53°F (22.7°/11.6°C) | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) |
| May | 80°/62°F (26.8°/16.4°C) | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 88°/69°F (31.2°/20.7°C) | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) |
| Jul | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) |
| Aug | 92°/72°F (33.3°/22.2°C) | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 84°/65°F (29.1°/18.1°C) | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 73°/54°F (23.0°/12.3°C) | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) |
| Nov | 62°/44°F (16.5°/6.6°C) | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) |
| Dec | 51°/35°F (10.7°/1.7°C) | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Colorado than Arkansas?
On average Colorado is around 34% pricier than Arkansas, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Colorado?
Budget about $25,000 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?
Arkansas generally does better on safety, though Colorado leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Colorado compared to Arkansas?
Colorado performs significantly better than Arkansas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Colorado compared to Arkansas?
The average high temperature in Denver is 65°F, compared to 72°F in Little Rock. Denver receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Little Rock gets 50.0 in.
