Moving from Washington to Colorado
Washington to Colorado is a move of about 1,187 miles. Median rent is $1,761 a month in Colorado and $1,760 in Washington, and the median home is $539,400 against $564,600. Washington has no state income tax, against a flat 4.40% in Colorado. Property tax runs 0.48% of home value in Colorado and 0.81% in Washington.
Moving to Colorado costs
About the same
Washington and Colorado work out within $50/mo of each other, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
State income tax is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Washington to Colorado, state income tax moves the most: about $234 a month more, which is most of the whole difference.
Washington vs Colorado at a glance
| Washington | Colorado | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $564,600 | $539,400 |
| Median rent | $1,760/mo | $1,761/mo |
| State income tax | No state income tax | Flat 4.40% |
| Property tax rate | 0.81% | 0.48% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 104 | 99 |
| Utilities | 93 | 85 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Washington vs Colorado
| Monthly | WA | CO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,760 | $1,761 | +$1 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $0 | $234 | +$234 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $101 | $43 | -$58 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,913 | $1,810 | -$103 |
| Utilities | $379 | $347 | -$32 |
| Total | +$42 | ||
Cost to move from Washington to Colorado
$2,500 to $5,500
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $700 to $1,000, against roughly $400 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 3-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Seattle is not Washington-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
What jobs pay in Colorado, after the cost of living
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.