Colorado Springs, CO vs Washington, DC
Moving from Colorado Springs to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($457,300 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.
Colorado Springs vs Washington at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Colorado Springs, CO, you'd need about $111,650 in Washington, DC (+$11,650).
Livability — Colorado Springs, CO: 60 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,077 sqft in Colorado Springs vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($241 vs $389 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Colorado Springs, CO | Washington, DC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,204 | $28,992 | +$7,788 |
| Groceries | $4,814 | $5,318 | +$504 |
| Transportation | $4,050 | $3,855 | −$195 |
| Utilities | $1,788 | $2,748 | +$960 |
| Insurance | $2,800 | $1,400 | −$1,400 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $17,710 | +$8,971 |
| Total | $43,395 | $60,023 | +$16,627 |
Side by side
| Metric | Colorado Springs, CO | Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.1 | 109.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.60% | 4.87% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.1% | 4.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $6.23 |
| Median home price | $457,300 | $583,013 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | -0.5% |
| Price per square foot | $241 | $389 |
| Median rent | $1,767 | $2,416 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.7% | 12.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.77% | 6.00% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.40% | 10.75% |
| Property tax rate | 0.41% | 0.95% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $26,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.79% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 34 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,800 | $1,400 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.5 | 25.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 1,000 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 29 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |