Moving from Washington 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 Washington and Colorado, side by side.
Moving to Colorado costs about
About the same
Washington and Colorado work out within $50/mo of each other
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 price | $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.
What changes each month
| 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 | +$40 | ||
What the move itself costs
$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
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.