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Washington, DC vs Fort Collins, CO

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

Washington vs Fort Collins at a glance

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

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

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Washington, DC, you'd need about $88,831 in Fort Collins, CO (−$11,169).

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

What your home budget buys

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

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryWashington, DCFort Collins, CODifference
Housing $28,992 $23,136 −$5,856
Groceries $5,318 $4,814 −$504
Transportation $3,855 $4,050 +$195
Utilities $2,748 $1,788 −$960
Insurance $1,400 $2,800 +$1,400
Taxes $17,710 $9,647 −$8,063
Total $60,023 $46,234 −$13,788

Side by side

MetricWashington, DCFort Collins, CO
Cost-of-living index109.597.3
Unemployment rate4.87%4.57%
Population growth (5-yr)4.2%8.6%
Air quality (median AQI)4954
Big Mac price (est.)$6.23$5.54
Median home price$583,013$556,500
Home price ÷ income4.9×6.4×
1-yr home appreciation-0.5%-1.5%
Price per square foot$389$293
Median rent$2,416$1,928
Total tax burden (% income)12.0%9.7%
Combined sales tax6.00%7.77%
Capital gains tax10.75%4.40%
Property tax rate0.95%0.52%
Healthcare (annual)$7,800$6,800
Childcare (annual, infant)$26,000$16,000
Vehicle property taxNone1.79%
Avg commute (min)3423
Home insurance / yr$1,400$2,800
Auto insurance / yr$2,000$2,000
Flood insurance / yr$800$550
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh25.416.5
Gas $/gal3.403.30
Violent crime /100k1,000490
Avg summer high °F8888
Avg winter low °F2918
Permit difficulty (1–5)43
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