Moving to New York from Colorado

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What to Expect

Considering a move from Colorado to New York? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.

If you moved from Colorado to New York, you would find that New York is 5.9% more expensive than Colorado. A $75,000 salary in Colorado would need to be roughly $75,823 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Colorado and New York.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $75,823

To maintain the same standard of living in New York

Calculate with your salary →

How key spending categories compare

Restaurants

pay 7.0% less

Groceries

pay 11.9% more

Transportation

pay 10.9% more

Housing

pay 5.2% less

Childcare

pay 26.1% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 11.6% 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.

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%).

Colorado

Boulder 74%

New York

Queens 73%
Ithaca 62%

Compare cities head-to-head

Key Indicator Comparison

The numbers behind daily life in New York compared to Colorado.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

CO
463
NY
381
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

CO
2814
NY
1760

New York performs significantly 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

CO
7.3%
NY
5.0%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

CO
26.3%
NY
29.9%

Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New York leads in uninsured rate.

What about housing?

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

typical price of a home

CO
$502,200
NY
$403,000
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

CO
$1,693
NY
$1,576

New York generally does better on what about housing?, though Colorado leads in homeownership rate.

Will I have good infrastructure?

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

share of households with internet

CO
92.9%
NY
89.7%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

CO
26 min
NY
33 min

Colorado performs better than New York across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

CO
3.6%
NY
4.4%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

CO
$74,650
NY
$91,992

Colorado generally does better on employment & economy, though New York leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

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

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

CO
30%
NY
28%

Colorado performs better than New York 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.

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

Avg. annual high / low

Albany Rain: 39.4 in/yr (1000 mm)
58° / 39°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Denver Albany
Jan–Mar 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C)
Apr–Jun 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) 68°/47°F (20°/8°C)
Jul–Sep 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) 78°/58°F (26°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C)
View all months
Month Denver Albany
Jan 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C)
Feb 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C)
Mar 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C)
Apr 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C)
May 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C)
Jun 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C)
Jul 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C)
Aug 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C)
Sep 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C)
Oct 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C)
Nov 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C)
Dec 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in New York than Colorado?

New York and Colorado are within a few percent on overall cost, though specific items in specific cities can swing either way.

How much money do I need to move to New York?

Budget about $18,956 for 3 months in New York (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is New York safe?

New York performs significantly better than Colorado across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in New York compared to Colorado?

Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New York leads in uninsured rate.

What's the weather like in New York compared to Colorado?

The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 65°F in Denver. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Denver gets 14.3 in.

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