Moving to Colorado from Utah
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Utah to Colorado — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Utah to Colorado, you would find that Colorado is 18.8% more expensive than Utah. A $75,000 salary in Utah would need to be roughly $89,100 in Colorado to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Utah to Colorado.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $89,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Colorado
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 16.3% more
Groceries
pay 16.3% more
Transportation
pay 7.5% less
Housing
pay 36.7% more
Childcare
pay 26.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 21.4% 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 19% more than cities in Utah.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Utah to Colorado.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Utah 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 Utah leads in adult smoking rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Utah 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
Utah performs better than Colorado 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
Utah generally does better on employment & economy, though Colorado leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Utah generally does better on family life, though Colorado leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
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 | Salt Lake City | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Salt Lake City | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) |
| Feb | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) |
| Apr | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) |
| Jul | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) |
| Aug | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) |
| Dec | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Colorado than Utah?
No — Colorado is on average about 19% more expensive than Utah. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Colorado?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $22,275 in Colorado on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Colorado safe?
Utah performs better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Colorado compared to Utah?
Colorado generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Utah leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Colorado compared to Utah?
The average high temperature in Denver is 65°F, compared to 64°F in Salt Lake City. Denver receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Salt Lake City gets 16.1 in.
