Moving from Oregon to Colorado
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Oregon and Colorado, side by side.
Moving to Colorado costs about
-$250/mo
less than Oregon each month, renting
Worth knowing
Colorado costs less overall, even though housing costs more
Housing runs about $236 a month more in Colorado, yet the move still works out roughly $250 a month cheaper once taxes and everyday costs are counted. The house is the expensive part; everything else is not.
Oregon vs Colorado at a glance
| Oregon | Colorado | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $477,600 | $539,400 |
| Median rent | $1,525/mo | $1,761/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 9.90% | Flat 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 0.81% | 0.48% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 105 | 99 |
| Utilities | 107 | 85 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | OR | CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,525 | $1,761 | +$236 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $537 | $234 | -$303 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $12 | None | -$12 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $0 | $43 | +$43 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,930 | $1,810 | -$120 |
| Utilities | $437 | $347 | -$90 |
| Total | -$250 | ||
What the move itself costs
$2,300 to $5,200
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $600 to $900, against roughly $250 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Portland is not Oregon-average and Denver is not Colorado-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.