Colorado Springs vs Missoula
The short version
- Missoula is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Colorado Springs area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $452,600 in Colorado Springs and $473,100 in Missoula.
- Households earn more in Colorado Springs ($84,818 vs $70,392 median).
- Colorado Springs has the warmer winter: January highs of 45°F vs 32°F.
- Missoula gets far more snow: 43 inches a year vs 33.
- Missoula is growing faster: +6.4% since 2020 vs +3.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Missoula (16 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Colorado Springs, CO | Missoula, MT | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 494,743 | 78,903 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.1% | +6.4% |
| People per square mile | 2,448 | 2,253 |
| Median age | 35.7 | 34.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 43% | 53% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $84,818 | $70,392 |
| Median home value | $452,600 | $473,100 |
| Home value to income | 5.3× | 6.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,648 | $1,189 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.7 | 96.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 116.2 | 94.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,500 | $72,300 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 4.4% | 5.65% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.89% | 0% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.7 | 15.8 |
| Work from home | 18% | 15% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.6% | 3.8% |
| Poverty rate | 9% | 11.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 45° / 19° | 32° / 18° |
| July high / low | 87° / 58° | 85° / 52° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 33 in | 43 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 23 | 27 |
| Nights below freezing | 160 | 173 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.1 | 77.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 68% | 82% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.1% | +0.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +22.8% | +45.9% |
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. Missoula: June to September.
Full monthly tables: Colorado Springs weather by month and Missoula 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 $72,300 in Missoula. Moving from Colorado Springs to Missoula, you would need about $71,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Colorado Springs and Missoula
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 Missoula.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.