Moving to Colorado from Oregon
What to Expect
Considering a move from Oregon to Colorado? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Oregon to Colorado, you would find that Colorado is 13.2% more expensive than Oregon. A $75,000 salary in Oregon would need to be roughly $86,610 in Colorado to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Oregon and Colorado.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $86,610
To maintain the same standard of living in Colorado
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 11.1% more
Groceries
pay 7.1% more
Transportation
pay 6.3% more
Housing
pay 17.9% more
Childcare
pay 24.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.2% 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 Oregon.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Colorado compared to Oregon.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Oregon 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 generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Oregon leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Oregon 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
Oregon 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 Oregon 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
Oregon generally does better on family life, though Colorado leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 | Salem | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 52°/36°F (11°/2°C) | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/45°F (20°/7°C) | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 80°/51°F (27°/11°C) | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/38°F (12°/3°C) | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salem | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48°/35°F (8.7°/1.5°C) | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) |
| Feb | 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.4°C) | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 56°/37°F (13.6°/2.9°C) | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) |
| Apr | 61°/40°F (16.2°/4.2°C) | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) |
| May | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.1°C) | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.6°C) | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) |
| Jul | 82°/53°F (27.8°/11.7°C) | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) |
| Aug | 82°/53°F (28.0°/11.6°C) | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 77°/48°F (24.9°/9.1°C) | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 64°/42°F (17.8°/5.7°C) | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) |
| Nov | 53°/38°F (11.4°/3.6°C) | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) |
| Dec | 46°/34°F (7.9°/1.1°C) | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Colorado than Oregon?
On average Colorado is around 15% pricier than Oregon, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Colorado?
Budget about $21,652 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?
Oregon performs better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Colorado compared to Oregon?
Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Oregon leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Colorado compared to Oregon?
The average high temperature in Denver is 65°F, compared to 64°F in Salem. Denver receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Salem gets 39.7 in.
