Cost of Living in Colorado Springs vs. Denver: What Your Budget Actually Buys

Colorado Springs is meaningfully more affordable than Denver, and housing is where you feel it most. Overall cost of living runs roughly 6% to 11% lower depending on which index you use, but the median home price gap is far wider than that, and new construction tells the clearest story of all.

Here’s the part most comparisons miss: we build new homes in both metros, so we can show you exactly what the same builder’s homes cost in each. A new View Homes community in Colorado Springs starts around $415,000. In the Denver metro, our communities start around $565,000. That’s roughly a $150,000 difference for a comparable new home, before you factor in a single grocery run or utility bill.

This guide breaks down where the difference is real, where it’s smaller than people assume, and what your budget actually buys in each city.

How much cheaper is Colorado Springs than Denver?

At a high level, here’s how the two compare.

Market figures as of 2026 and subject to change. Sources: Redfin, realtor.com, Salary.com. New construction pricing from View Homes community listings, July 2026.

The everyday stuff (groceries, gas, utilities) is close enough between the two cities that it shouldn’t drive your decision. Housing is the category that actually moves the needle, so that’s where it’s worth spending your attention.

Housing is where the real difference shows up

Denver’s housing market carries a premium that Colorado Springs doesn’t. Part of it is job density, part of it is land, and part of it is simple demand. Whatever the cause, the result is that your housing dollar stretches noticeably further in Colorado Springs.

On the resale market, the median home price difference runs well over $90,000 based on 2026 figures. But resale is only half the picture, and for a lot of buyers it’s the less useful half, because a fifteen-year-old home comes with a fifteen-year-old roof, furnace, and water heater. New construction is where the comparison gets genuinely interesting.

What your budget actually buys in a new home

Because View Homes builds in both metros, we can compare our own communities directly. This is the comparison no cost-of-living calculator can give you, because calculators work from citywide averages, not from actual homes you can walk through and buy.

The entry point: about $150,000 apart

The most attainable new View Homes community in Colorado Springs starts at $414,995 (Trails at Aspen Ridge and Ridge at Lorson Ranch, both in the southeast part of the metro).

In the Denver metro, our most attainable community, Buffalo Highlands in Commerce City, starts at $564,995.

That’s a $150,000 gap at the entry point, for new homes built by the same company to the same standards. In Colorado Springs, that same $150,000 is often the difference between a starter home and a move-up home with more square footage, a bigger lot, or a finished basement.

What each budget tier reaches

Here’s roughly what a new-construction budget reaches in each metro, using current View Homes communities.

The pattern is consistent at every tier: a budget that buys a premium home in Colorado Springs buys an entry-level home in Denver.

A closer look at the Denver side

To make the comparison concrete, here’s what our Denver-area homes actually offer at their price points:

• Buffalo Highlands (Commerce City), from $564,995: single-family homes from about 2,230 to 3,270 square feet, three to five bedrooms, with finished basements standard.
• Baseline Lakes (Brighton), from $788,995: larger homes from about 2,044 to 3,423 square feet on generous acre lots, with basement options.

In Colorado Springs, that same $565,000 to $789,000 range moves you into the largest homes and best lots we offer, rather than the entry point.

Beyond the mortgage: the other cost differences

Housing is the headline, but a few other categories are worth knowing about.

Property taxes

Colorado has some of the lowest property tax rates in the country, and that applies statewide, so both cities benefit. Actual bills vary by local mill levy and district, so two similarly priced homes can carry different tax bills depending on exactly where they sit. As a rule, though, property taxes are a relatively small line item in Colorado compared with most states.

Sales tax

Colorado Springs carries a combined sales tax rate of 8.20%. Denver’s combined rate runs somewhat higher at 9.15%. On day-to-day spending the difference is modest, but it’s there.

Insurance

This one runs the other way from what you might expect. Front Range hail makes homeowners insurance a real cost in both metros, and it’s worth budgeting for in either city rather than treating it as an afterthought. A newer home can help, since roofing and systems are new, but get a specific quote before you buy in either market.

Utilities and everyday costs

Groceries, gas, and utilities track closely between the two cities. Neither metro has a decisive edge here, which is why housing ends up being the category that determines the overall difference.

Commute

Colorado Springs averages about a 20-minute one-way commute, shorter than Denver’s. If you’re weighing a longer Denver commute against Colorado Springs housing prices, factor in the daily time cost and the fuel, not just the mortgage.

Why do the published numbers disagree?

If you’ve looked this up already, you’ve probably seen the “cheaper” figure quoted as anywhere from 4% to 14%. That’s not because someone is wrong. It’s because these comparisons measure different things:

• Some use median sale price, others use median assessed value or list price.
• Some measure the city, others the broader metro area.
• They pull from different months, and a fast-moving market can shift several percent between them.
• Cost-of-living indexes weight categories differently, so a grocery-heavy index and a housing-heavy index land in different places.

The honest takeaway is to treat any single percentage as a rough guide rather than a precise fact. What holds steady across every source is the direction and the rough scale: Colorado Springs is consistently more affordable, and housing is consistently the reason. We refresh the figures in this guide quarterly and note our sources so you can check them yourself.

So which city is right for you?

Cost is only one input. Denver offers a broader job market, more public transit, and a denser dining and nightlife scene. Colorado Springs offers more house for the money, shorter commutes, and quicker access to the mountains. Plenty of buyers split the difference by living in northern Colorado Springs or Monument and commuting toward Denver.

If the affordability gap is what’s drawing you toward Colorado Springs, our Colorado Springs home buyer’s guide walks through the areas, school districts, and communities in detail. You can also browse current homes and pricing on our Colorado Springs and Denver community pages.

Frequently asked questions

Is Colorado Springs cheaper than Denver?

Yes. Overall cost of living in Colorado Springs runs roughly 6% to 11% below Denver, and the gap is widest in housing. The median home price is well over $90,000 lower, and new construction starts roughly $150,000 lower based on current View Homes pricing in both metros.

How much cheaper is housing in Colorado Springs than Denver?

On the resale market, the median home price is roughly $450,000 to $475,000 in Colorado Springs versus about $567,000 and up in Denver. For new construction, View Homes communities start around $415,000 in Colorado Springs and around $565,000 in the Denver metro.

Is it worth living in Colorado Springs and commuting to Denver?

It’s a common choice, especially from Monument and northern Colorado Springs. You trade a longer daily commute, typically an hour or more each way, for meaningfully lower housing costs. Whether it’s worth it depends on how you value the time versus the savings.

Are property taxes lower in Colorado Springs than Denver?

Both cities benefit from Colorado’s low statewide property tax rates. Actual bills vary by local mill levy and district rather than by city, so the difference between a specific Colorado Springs home and a specific Denver home depends more on the exact location than on the metro.

Which is a better place to live, Colorado Springs or Denver?

Neither is better outright. Denver offers more jobs, transit, and nightlife. Colorado Springs offers lower costs, shorter commutes, and closer mountain access. The right answer depends on which of those matters most to you.