Cheyenne vs Lakewood
The short version
- Cheyenne is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 9% lower than in the Lakewood area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $333,700 in Cheyenne and $574,400 in Lakewood.
- Households earn more in Lakewood ($89,792 vs $78,839 median).
- Lakewood has the warmer winter: January highs of 47°F vs 40°F.
- Cheyenne gets far more snow: 63 inches a year vs 49.
- Lakewood has more scorching days: 42 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 15.
- Commutes are shorter in Cheyenne (16 vs 26 minutes each way).
- Wyoming has no state income tax on wages; Colorado's top rate is 4.4%.
Side by side
| Cheyenne, WY | Lakewood, CO | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 66,507 | 156,927 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.7% | +0.6% |
| People per square mile | 1,823 | 3,609 |
| Median age | 38.9 | 38.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34% | 45% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $78,839 | $89,792 |
| Median home value | $333,700 | $574,400 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,118 | $1,806 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 96.5 | 105.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 89.8 | 146.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $72,400 | $79,300 |
| Homeowners | 67% | 58% |
| Top state income tax | None | 4.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.39% | 7.89% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 16.0 | 25.5 |
| Work from home | 8% | 23% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.7% | 4.5% |
| Poverty rate | 8.7% | 9.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 18° | 47° / 18° |
| July high / low | 84° / 56° | 90° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 15 in | 15 in |
| Snowfall per year | 63 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 15 | 42 |
| Nights below freezing | 170 | 156 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 76.7 | 94.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 75% | 29% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.2% | -0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +37.7% | +21.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Cheyenne: June to September. Lakewood: May to June and September.
Full monthly tables: Cheyenne weather by month and Lakewood weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $72,400 in Cheyenne and $79,300 in Lakewood. Moving from Cheyenne to Lakewood, you would need about $82,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Cheyenne and Lakewood
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Cheyenne and Lakewood.
Which would you pick?
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