Median rent is 10% lower in Colorado Springs ($1,648/mo vs $1,835/mo). Buying is cheaper in Colorado Springs, where the median home runs $452,600 versus $469,100. Households earn more in Aurora ($88,368 vs $84,818 a year).
City A
Aurora, CO
City B
Colorado Springs, CO
How much would you need to earn in Colorado Springs, CO to maintain your standard of living from Aurora, CO?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Aurora
Colorado
Colorado Springs
Colorado
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rent is modestly lower in Colorado Springs at $1,648/mo compared to $1,835/mo in Aurora (10% gap). Median home values are within 4% of each other: $469,100 in Aurora and $452,600 in Colorado Springs.
1BR Fair Market Rent
2BR Fair Market Rent
BLS OEWS 2023 — metro-level data
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Aurora
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Colorado Springs
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Colorado Springs has cleaner air on average: 23.0 AQI (Good) compared to 27.0 AQI (Good) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Is Aurora cheaper than Colorado Springs?
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
How much is rent in Aurora vs Colorado Springs?
Median rent is $1,835/mo in Aurora, CO and $1,648/mo in Colorado Springs, CO. Colorado Springs, CO has the lower rent by about 10%.
Which has higher salaries — Aurora or Colorado Springs?
Median household income is $88,368 in Aurora, CO and $84,818 in Colorado Springs, CO. Aurora, CO has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Which city has better air quality?
Colorado Springs, CO has better air quality on average: 23.0 AQI versus 27.0 AQI. Both are EPA AirNow annual averages; lower is better.
Which has lower taxes — Aurora or Colorado Springs?
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
What salary do I need in Colorado Springs to match my Aurora income?
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: December 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
