Greeley vs Rapid City
The short version
- Rapid City is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 11% lower than in the Greeley area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $299,400 in Rapid City and $402,500 in Greeley.
- Greeley has the warmer winter: January highs of 44°F vs 36°F.
- Rapid City gets far more snow: 49 inches a year vs 35.
- Greeley has more scorching days: 58 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 32.
- Rapid City is growing faster: +7.8% since 2020 vs +5.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Rapid City (18 vs 24 minutes each way).
- South Dakota has no state income tax on wages; Colorado's top rate is 4.4%.
Side by side
| Greeley, CO | Rapid City, SD | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 115,073 | 80,589 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.8% | +7.8% |
| People per square mile | 2,295 | 1,440 |
| Median age | 32.5 | 39.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $69,881 | $70,870 |
| Median home value | $402,500 | $299,400 |
| Home value to income | 5.8× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,388 | $1,109 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.2 | 89.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 72.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,100 | $66,900 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 63% |
| Top state income tax | 4.4% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.89% | 6.11% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.3 | 17.5 |
| Work from home | 9% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.6% | 2.6% |
| Poverty rate | 15.1% | 12.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 44° / 18° | 36° / 13° |
| July high / low | 92° / 59° | 86° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 15 in | 17 in |
| Snowfall per year | 35 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 58 | 32 |
| Nights below freezing | 153 | 174 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 89.2 | 78.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 45% | 62% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | +1.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +25.2% | +45.1% |
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: Greeley: May to June and September. Rapid City: June and August to September.
Full monthly tables: Greeley weather by month and Rapid City weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,100 in Greeley and $66,900 in Rapid City. Moving from Greeley to Rapid City, you would need about $66,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Greeley and Rapid City
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Greeley and Rapid City.
Which would you pick?
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