Moving to Colorado
New residents have 30 days to get a Colorado driver license and must register a car within 90 days. Prices are 3.1% above the U.S. average, and a single filer earning $100,000 pays about $3,692 in Colorado income tax. 121,390 households moved here from other states in 2022–2023, most often from Texas and California.
New resident checklist for Colorado
Driver license
Transfer your license within 30 days of establishing residency; appointment required; out-of-state license (valid or expired under 1 year) is voided; tests may be required. Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of your Colorado address.
Vehicle title and registration
Title and register at your county motor vehicle office within 90 days of residency. Out-of-state titles need a VIN verification (form DR 2698); emissions test required in the Denver metro/North Front Range program area. Switch your auto insurance to a Colorado policy.
Taxes or fees on a car you bring: No new-resident fee. DMV lists sales tax only 'if applicable' at titling; a vehicle bought and registered while living in another state generally isn't taxed again.
Annual registration: By value and age: Specific Ownership Tax on 85% of original MSRP (2.1% in year 1 falling to 0.45% in years 5-9, $3 from year 10), plus weight-based registration fee and surcharges.
Extra yearly fee for an electric vehicle: $89.
Establishing residency
You are a resident if you own or run a business in Colorado, work in Colorado, or live there 90 consecutive days. Residency also decides where you pay income tax in the year you move; see taxes the year you move.
Your first-month checklist in Colorado
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Update your address with the IRS (Form 8822), your employer and your bank.
- Make sure your employer withholds Colorado income tax from your move date.
- Set up utilities and get renters or homeowners insurance. Owners with a mortgage here paid a median $2,253 a year for homeowners insurance in 2024 (Census ACS); premiums have risen in most states since, so get quotes.
- Keep your lease or closing papers and your license date as proof of when you became a resident.
Still planning the move itself? The moving out of state checklist covers the weeks before you go, and the moving timeline turns your move date into dated deadlines. Our guide to moving with pets covers vet records, travel and local pet rules. Shipping a car? See shipping a car to another state, or take the Where should I move? quiz.
Official site: dmv.colorado.gov. Sources: dmv.colorado.gov (2), dmv.colorado.gov (3), dmv.colorado.gov (4). Reviewed 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change; confirm with the Colorado motor vehicle agency before you go.
Compare your move to Colorado
Pick the state you're leaving and your salary to see your take-home pay, rent and the salary that keeps your buying power the same in Colorado.
Equal salary in CO: $91,000
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $91,000 in Colorado to match $80,000 in Texas ($11,000 more), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
These changes cover taxes, housing and electricity. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. They are not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $80,000 | Texas | Colorado |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $8,770 | $8,770 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $6,120 | $6,120 |
| State income tax | $0 | $2,812 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $0 | $352 |
| Take-home pay | $65,110 | $61,946 |
Full reports for the most common moves to Colorado: Texas to Colorado, California to Colorado, Florida to Colorado, Arizona to Colorado, Illinois to Colorado and New York to Colorado.
Living in Colorado: costs, taxes and risk
Of the 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), Colorado is in the best 10 for electric bills, property tax rate and household income, and in the worst 10 for homeowners insurance, rent and cost to own a home.
- Median rent
- $1,822/mo U.S. $1,487
- Cost to own the median home
- $3,466/mo U.S. $2,298
- Take-home on $100,000
- $75,048 $30 less than in the median state
- Property tax (effective)
- 0.49% median $2,828/yr
- FEMA risk score
- 85 of 100 Among the highest of U.S. counties
- Moved in from other states
- 121,390 households, IRS 2022–2023
Pros and cons of living in Colorado
How Colorado ranks among all 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) on 11 measures of costs, taxes, risk and income. Top 10 means among the 10 best for someone moving in, Bottom 10 among the 10 worst.
Where Colorado ranks best
- Top 5 Lowest electric bills: $101 a month on average (EIA 2024), 3rd lowest of 51.
- Top 10 Lowest property tax rate: 0.49% of home value a year, tied with 1 other state for 9th lowest.
- Top 10 Highest household incomes: $97,113 median household income (Census ACS 2024), 9th highest of 51.
Where Colorado ranks worst
- Bottom 5 Highest homeowners insurance: $2,253 a year at the median for homes with a mortgage (Census ACS 2024), 3rd highest of 51.
- Bottom 10 Highest rent: $1,822 a month at the median (Census ACS 2024), 6th highest of 51.
- Bottom 10 Highest cost to own a home: $3,466 a month for the median home with 20% down, 7th highest of 51.
Measures: state income tax, overall prices, rent, cost to own a home, property tax rate, homeowners insurance, electric bills, car insurance, health premiums, natural hazard risk, household income. State income tax is for a single filer earning $100,000 under 2026 rules, including the average county income tax in Indiana and Maryland. Ties share a rank.
Where new Colorado residents come from
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 121,390 households filed their taxes in Colorado after filing in another state the year before. Texas sent the most, 14,923 households (12% of the total). Colorado gained a net 11,341 households from other states that year.
Five-year trend
Moves to Colorado from other states peaked in 2021–22 at 124,805 households, then held roughly steady to 121,390 in 2022–23, up 10% from 2018–19. Colorado gained households from other states on net in all five years.
IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23. Net gain or loss by year: 2018–19 +16,448, 2019–20 +12,892, 2020–21 +5,868, 2021–22 +6,990, 2022–23 +11,341.
Cost of living in Colorado vs the U.S.
Overall prices in Colorado are 3.1% above the U.S. average, 39th cheapest of 51. The widest gap is in housing (127.4), 27% above the U.S. level.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024.
- Average electric bill
- $101/mo U.S. $142
- Car insurance, per car
- $1,453/yr U.S. $1,282
- Health plan, age 40
- $557/mo U.S. $625
EIA 2024 average residential bills, NAIC 2023 average auto insurance expenditure, KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium before subsidies.
Taxes in Colorado: take-home pay at three incomes
Colorado taxes wages. Workers also pay about $440 a year in state payroll programs at $100,000, which the take-home figures include. Here is what a single filer keeps after 2026 federal and state taxes, compared with the middle of all 51.
| Salary | CO income tax | Take-home | vs. median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $1,492 | $40,643 | -$135 |
| $100,000 | $3,692 | $75,048 | -$30 |
| $150,000 | $5,892 | $107,239 | -$347 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. Take-home is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Colorado income and payroll taxes. "vs. median state" is the difference from the median take-home of all 51 at the same salary. For married filing jointly, change the filing status in the calculator above.
The statewide sales tax rate is 2.9% before any local sales taxes. Homeowners pay a median $2,828 a year in property tax, 0.49% of the median home value (property tax by county). Retiring? See how Colorado taxes Social Security and pensions. Moving mid-year? Read about taxes the year you move.
Cities in Colorado: where a paycheck goes furthest
Of the 5 Colorado metro areas we cover, Greeley is the best value: about $79,600 there buys what $75,000 buys in an average-priced area with no state income tax. Denver takes the most, $84,900.
| Metro area | Salary to match $75k | Price level | Median rent | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greeley | $79,600 | 100.2 | $1,579 | $496,100 |
| Colorado Springs | $80,100 | 100.7 | $1,761 | $487,900 |
| Fort Collins | $80,500 | 101.1 | $1,751 | $610,000 |
| Boulder | $84,300 | 105.2 | $1,966 | $783,000 |
| Denver | $84,900 | 105.8 | $1,943 | $631,000 |
Salary to match $75k: the pay that leaves the same after-tax, price-adjusted income as $75,000 in an area at U.S. average prices with no state income tax, single filer, including the principal city's own income tax where it has one. BEA 2024 price levels (U.S. = 100) and Census ACS 2024 rent and home values for each metro area.
Housing and home insurance in Colorado
| Measure | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,822 | $1,487 |
| Median home value | $574,600 | $360,600 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $3,466 | $2,298 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $148,554 | $98,486 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $2,828 | $3,211 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $2,253 | $1,450 |
Census ACS 2024 rent, home value and property tax, and ACS 2024 homeowners insurance. Cost to own: principal and interest at the Freddie Mac 30-year average (6.95%) with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance paid by owners with a mortgage. Premiums have risen since 2024, especially in high-risk areas, so get quotes. See buying a home in Colorado for other down payments.
Natural disaster risk in Colorado
Colorado's population-weighted score on FEMA's National Risk Index is 85 of 100, among the highest of U.S. counties and 33rd safest of 51. Expected losses from natural hazards average about $375 per resident a year, and about 23% of residents live in counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
See disaster risk for every Colorado county and how to check a home's risk before you move.
Frequently asked questions
Where do people moving to Colorado come from?
In IRS migration data for 2022–2023, 121,390 households moved to Colorado from other states. The most came from Texas (14,923 households), California (14,044) and Florida (8,639).
What are the pros and cons of living in Colorado?
Where Colorado ranks best among the 50 states and D.C.: lowest electric bills, 3rd lowest of 51; lowest property tax rate, tied with 1 other state for 9th lowest; highest household incomes, 9th highest of 51. Where it ranks worst: highest homeowners insurance, 3rd highest of 51; highest rent, 6th highest of 51; highest cost to own a home, 7th highest of 51.
Is Colorado expensive to live in?
Overall prices in Colorado are 3.1% above the U.S. average (BEA price level 103.1, 2024), 39th cheapest of 51. Median rent is $1,822 a month and the median home is worth $574,600.
How long do I have to get a Colorado driver license after moving?
30 days after becoming a resident. Transfer your license within 30 days of establishing residency; appointment required; out-of-state license (valid or expired under 1 year) is voided; tests may be required.
How long do I have to register my car in Colorado?
90 days. Title and register at your county motor vehicle office within 90 days of residency. Out-of-state titles need a VIN verification (form DR 2698); emissions test required in the Denver metro/North Front Range program area.
Do new residents pay tax on a car brought to Colorado?
No new-resident fee. DMV lists sales tax only 'if applicable' at titling; a vehicle bought and registered while living in another state generally isn't taxed again.
What makes me a Colorado resident?
You are a resident if you own or run a business in Colorado, work in Colorado, or live there 90 consecutive days.