Moving to Colorado from Washington
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Washington to Colorado — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Washington to Colorado, you would find that Colorado is 1.2% cheaper than Washington. A $75,000 salary in Washington would need to be roughly $74,100 in Colorado to maintain the same lifestyle. Seattle and Denver are about 1,000 mi apart.
Is Colorado cheaper than Washington?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 5.7% less
Groceries
pay 3.1% less
Transportation
pay 9.2% less
Housing
pay 6.2% more
Childcare
pay 20.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.4% 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.
What salary do you need in Colorado?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $74,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Colorado
Calculate with your salary →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 1% more than cities in Washington.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Washington and Colorado stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Washington generally does better on safety, though Colorado leads in property crime rate.
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
Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Colorado leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Colorado generally does better on what about housing?, though Washington leads in median rent.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Washington generally does better on infrastructure, though Colorado leads in average commute.
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
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though Colorado leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington 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
Weather in Colorado vs Washington
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Seattle | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/38°F (10°/3°C) | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/47°F (18°/8°C) | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 74°/55°F (23°/13°C) | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/41°F (11°/5°C) | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Seattle | Denver |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/37°F (8.4°/2.7°C) | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) |
| Feb | 50°/37°F (9.9°/2.7°C) | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) |
| Mar | 54°/39°F (12.1°/4.1°C) | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) |
| Apr | 58°/42°F (14.7°/5.7°C) | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) |
| May | 65°/47°F (18.2°/8.5°C) | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 70°/52°F (21.1°/11.1°C) | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) |
| Jul | 76°/56°F (24.3°/13.1°C) | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) |
| Aug | 76°/56°F (24.6°/13.3°C) | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.2°C) | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 60°/46°F (15.4°/7.7°C) | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) |
| Nov | 51°/40°F (10.5°/4.4°C) | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) |
| Dec | 46°/36°F (7.6°/2.0°C) | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Colorado than Washington?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Colorado and Washington; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
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 $18,525 in Colorado for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Colorado safe?
Washington generally does better on safety, though Colorado leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Colorado compared to Washington?
Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Colorado leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Colorado compared to Washington?
The average high temperature in Denver is 65°F, compared to 60°F in Seattle. Denver receives around 14.3 in of rainfall per year, while Seattle gets 37.5 in.
