Colorado Springs vs Fort Collins
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $452,600 in Colorado Springs and $577,900 in Fort Collins.
- Fort Collins gets far more snow: 51 inches a year vs 33.
- Colorado Springs is growing faster: +3.1% since 2020 vs +1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Fort Collins (20 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Colorado Springs, CO | Fort Collins, CO | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 494,743 | 171,500 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.1% | +1% |
| People per square mile | 2,448 | 2,996 |
| Median age | 35.7 | 30.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 43% | 61% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $84,818 | $85,070 |
| Median home value | $452,600 | $577,900 |
| Home value to income | 5.3× | 6.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,648 | $1,690 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.7 | 101.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 116.2 | 120.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,500 | $75,800 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 4.4% | 4.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.89% | 7.89% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.7 | 19.5 |
| Work from home | 18% | 22% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.6% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 9% | 15.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 45° / 19° | 45° / 18° |
| July high / low | 87° / 58° | 87° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 33 in | 51 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 23 | 29 |
| Nights below freezing | 160 | 150 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.1 | 90.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 68% | 51% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.1% | +0.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +22.8% | +29.3% |
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: Colorado Springs: May to June and August to September. Fort Collins: May to June and August to September.
Full monthly tables: Colorado Springs weather by month and Fort Collins weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,500 in Colorado Springs and $75,800 in Fort Collins. Moving from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins, you would need about $75,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Colorado Springs and Fort Collins
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Colorado Springs and Fort Collins.
Which would you pick?
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