Moving to Colorado from Missouri

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Missouri to Colorado, you would find that Colorado is 19.8% more expensive than Missouri. A $75,000 salary in Missouri would need to be roughly $95,985 in Colorado to maintain the same lifestyle.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $95,985

To maintain the same standard of living in Colorado

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 20.3% more

Groceries

pay 7.9% more

Transportation

pay 1.2% more

Housing

pay 42.8% more

Childcare

pay 21.9% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 29.3% 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 Missouri 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

MO
453
CO
463
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

MO
2070
CO
2814

Missouri 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

MO
8.9%
CO
7.3%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

MO
37.5%
CO
26.3%

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

What about housing?

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

typical price of a home

MO
$215,600
CO
$502,200
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

MO
$996
CO
$1,693

Missouri 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

MO
88.3%
CO
92.9%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

MO
24 min
CO
26 min

Missouri 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

MO
3.3%
CO
3.6%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

MO
$56,344
CO
$74,650

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

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

MO
75.1 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

MO
22%
CO
30%

Colorado performs significantly better than Missouri 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.

Columbia Rain: 46.3 in/yr (1175 mm)
66° / 46°F

Avg. annual high / low

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

Avg. annual high / low

Months Columbia Denver
Jan–Mar 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C)
Apr–Jun 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) 72°/43°F (22°/6°C)
Jul–Sep 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) 85°/55°F (29°/13°C)
Oct–Dec 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C)
View all months
Month Columbia Denver
Jan 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C)
Feb 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C)
Mar 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C)
Apr 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C)
May 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C)
Jun 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C)
Jul 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C)
Aug 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C)
Sep 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C)
Oct 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C)
Nov 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C)
Dec 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°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 Missouri?

Day-to-day costs in Colorado run about 28% higher than Missouri 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 $23,996 in Colorado for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Colorado safe?

Missouri performs better than Colorado across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Colorado compared to Missouri?

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

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

The average high temperature in Denver is 65°F, compared to 66°F in Columbia. Denver receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Columbia gets 46.3 in.

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