SalaryCompareTool

Fort Collins, CO vs Phoenix, AZ

Moving from Fort Collins to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($556,500 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.

Fort Collins vs Phoenix at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Fort Collins, CO Phoenix, AZ Cost-of-living index Fort Collins, CO — Cost-of-living index: 97 97 Phoenix, AZ — Cost-of-living index: 105 105 Median home price Fort Collins, CO — Median home price: $557k $557k Phoenix, AZ — Median home price: $448k $448k Price per sqft Fort Collins, CO — Price per sqft: $293 $293 Phoenix, AZ — Price per sqft: $242 $242 Median rent Fort Collins, CO — Median rent: $1,928 $1,928 Phoenix, AZ — Median rent: $1,742 $1,742 Combined sales tax Fort Collins, CO — Combined sales tax: 7.8% 7.8% Phoenix, AZ — Combined sales tax: 8.4% 8.4% Property tax rate Fort Collins, CO — Property tax rate: 0.52% 0.52% Phoenix, AZ — Property tax rate: 0.51% 0.51% Violent crime /100k Fort Collins, CO — Violent crime /100k: 490 490 Phoenix, AZ — Violent crime /100k: 430 430 Electricity ¢/kWh Fort Collins, CO — Electricity ¢/kWh: 16.5 16.5 Phoenix, AZ — Electricity ¢/kWh: 15.5 15.5 Avg commute (min) Fort Collins, CO — Avg commute (min): 23 23 Phoenix, AZ — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Avg summer high °F Fort Collins, CO — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° Phoenix, AZ — Avg summer high °F: 104° 104° Avg winter low °F Fort Collins, CO — Avg winter low °F: 18° 18° Phoenix, AZ — Avg winter low °F: 41° 41°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Fort Collins, CO, you'd need about $107,572 in Phoenix, AZ (+$7,572).

Livability — Fort Collins, CO: 59 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,707 sqft in Fort Collins vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($293 vs $242 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryFort Collins, COPhoenix, AZDifference
Housing $23,136 $20,904 −$2,232
Groceries $4,814 $4,919 +$105
Transportation $4,050 $3,960 −$90
Utilities $1,788 $1,668 −$120
Insurance $2,800 $1,800 −$1,000
Taxes $9,647 $7,280 −$2,366
Total $46,234 $40,531 −$5,703

Side by side

MetricFort Collins, COPhoenix, AZ
Cost-of-living index97.3104.7
Unemployment rate4.57%4.88%
Population growth (5-yr)8.6%6.7%
Air quality (median AQI)5486
Big Mac price (est.)$5.54$5.96
Median home price$556,500$448,352
Home price ÷ income6.4×5.6×
1-yr home appreciation-1.5%-1.7%
Price per square foot$293$242
Median rent$1,928$1,742
Total tax burden (% income)9.7%9.5%
Combined sales tax7.77%8.38%
Capital gains tax4.40%2.50%
Property tax rate0.52%0.51%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$6,300
Childcare (annual, infant)$16,000$12,500
Vehicle property tax1.79%1.68%
Avg commute (min)2327
Home insurance / yr$2,800$1,800
Auto insurance / yr$2,000$1,900
Flood insurance / yr$550$550
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh16.515.5
Gas $/gal3.303.60
Violent crime /100k490430
Avg summer high °F88104
Avg winter low °F1841
Permit difficulty (1–5)32
Moving to Phoenix?
Compare moving company quotes →
Financing a home in Phoenix?
See today's mortgage rates →

Ad · affiliate links

Fort Collins details → Phoenix details → Reverse: Phoenix vs Fort Collins →