Moving from Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania and Colorado, side by side.
Moving to Colorado costs about
+$340/mo
more than Pennsylvania each month, renting
Worth knowing
Homes cost 2.1x more in Colorado, but the tax rate is lower
Colorado taxes property at 0.48% against 1.30% in Pennsylvania. Despite the far higher prices, you would actually pay LESS property tax there: about $2,589 a year against $3,309.
Pennsylvania vs Colorado at a glance
| Pennsylvania | Colorado | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $254,500 | $539,400 |
| Median rent | $1,209/mo | $1,761/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 3.07% | Flat 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 1.30% | 0.48% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 99 | 99 |
| Utilities | 109 | 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 | PA | CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,209 | $1,761 | +$552 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $205 | $234 | +$30 |
| Local income tax (state average) | $82 | None | -$82 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $91 | $43 | -$48 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,822 | $1,810 | -$12 |
| Utilities | $446 | $347 | -$99 |
| Total | +$340 | ||
What the move itself costs
$3,200 to $6,900
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $850 to $1,200, against roughly $600 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 4-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Philadelphia is not Pennsylvania-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.