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Fort Collins, CO vs Washington, DC

Moving from Fort Collins to Washington? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($556,500 → $583,013 median home) and taxes.

Fort Collins vs Washington at a glance

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

Fort Collins, CO Washington, DC Cost-of-living index Fort Collins, CO — Cost-of-living index: 97 97 Washington, DC — Cost-of-living index: 110 110 Median home price Fort Collins, CO — Median home price: $557k $557k Washington, DC — Median home price: $583k $583k Price per sqft Fort Collins, CO — Price per sqft: $293 $293 Washington, DC — Price per sqft: $389 $389 Median rent Fort Collins, CO — Median rent: $1,928 $1,928 Washington, DC — Median rent: $2,416 $2,416 Combined sales tax Fort Collins, CO — Combined sales tax: 7.8% 7.8% Washington, DC — Combined sales tax: 6.0% 6.0% Property tax rate Fort Collins, CO — Property tax rate: 0.52% 0.52% Washington, DC — Property tax rate: 0.95% 0.95% Violent crime /100k Fort Collins, CO — Violent crime /100k: 490 490 Washington, DC — Violent crime /100k: 1,000 1,000 Electricity ¢/kWh Fort Collins, CO — Electricity ¢/kWh: 16.5 16.5 Washington, DC — Electricity ¢/kWh: 25.4 25.4 Avg commute (min) Fort Collins, CO — Avg commute (min): 23 23 Washington, DC — Avg commute (min): 34 34 Avg summer high °F Fort Collins, CO — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° Washington, DC — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° Avg winter low °F Fort Collins, CO — Avg winter low °F: 18° 18° Washington, DC — Avg winter low °F: 29° 29°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Fort Collins, CO, you'd need about $112,573 in Washington, DC (+$12,573).

Livability — Fort Collins, CO: 59 · Washington, DC: 39 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,707 sqft in Fort Collins vs 1,286 sqft in Washington ($293 vs $389 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryFort Collins, COWashington, DCDifference
Housing $23,136 $28,992 +$5,856
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 $9,647 $17,710 +$8,064
Total $46,234 $60,023 +$13,788

Side by side

MetricFort Collins, COWashington, DC
Cost-of-living index97.3109.5
Unemployment rate4.57%4.87%
Population growth (5-yr)8.6%4.2%
Air quality (median AQI)5449
Big Mac price (est.)$5.54$6.23
Median home price$556,500$583,013
Home price ÷ income6.4×4.9×
1-yr home appreciation-1.5%-0.5%
Price per square foot$293$389
Median rent$1,928$2,416
Total tax burden (% income)9.7%12.0%
Combined sales tax7.77%6.00%
Capital gains tax4.40%10.75%
Property tax rate0.52%0.95%
Healthcare (annual)$6,800$7,800
Childcare (annual, infant)$16,000$26,000
Vehicle property tax1.79%None
Avg commute (min)2334
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 ¢/kWh16.525.4
Gas $/gal3.303.40
Violent crime /100k4901,000
Avg summer high °F8888
Avg winter low °F1829
Permit difficulty (1–5)34
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