Moving to Colorado from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Considering a move from Pennsylvania to Colorado? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to Colorado, you would find that Colorado is 7.2% more expensive than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $83,277 in Colorado to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Pennsylvania and Colorado.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $83,277
To maintain the same standard of living in Colorado
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 14.8% more
Groceries
pay 6.1% less
Transportation
pay 5.1% more
Housing
pay 21.6% more
Childcare
pay 9.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.0% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Colorado compared to Pennsylvania.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Pennsylvania 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
Colorado performs significantly better than Pennsylvania across all infrastructure metrics.
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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 | Harrisburg | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/50°F (22°/10°C) | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/61°F (27°/16°C) | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/34°F (11°/1°C) | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Harrisburg | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/21°F (2.5°/-5.9°C) | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) |
| Feb | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.1°C) | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.3°/-0.9°C) | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) |
| Apr | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) |
| May | 72°/50°F (22.2°/10.1°C) | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 81°/60°F (27.2°/15.5°C) | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) |
| Jul | 85°/64°F (29.2°/17.8°C) | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) |
| Aug | 83°/63°F (28.2°/17.0°C) | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.8°C) | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 63°/42°F (17.4°/5.6°C) | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) |
| Nov | 52°/35°F (11.1°/1.6°C) | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) |
| Dec | 40°/26°F (4.4°/-3.2°C) | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Colorado than Pennsylvania?
On average Colorado is around 11% pricier than Pennsylvania, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Colorado?
Budget about $20,819 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?
Pennsylvania performs better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Colorado compared to Pennsylvania?
Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Pennsylvania leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Colorado compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Denver is 65°F, compared to 61°F in Harrisburg. Denver receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Harrisburg gets 43.6 in.
