Median rent is 13% lower in Fort Collins ($1,690/mo vs $1,933/mo). Buying is cheaper in Fort Collins, where the median home runs $577,900 versus $921,200. Households earn more in Fort Collins ($85,070 vs $81,939 a year).
City A
Fort Collins, CO
City B
Los Angeles, CA
How much would you need to earn in Los Angeles, CA to maintain your standard of living from Fort Collins, 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
Fort Collins
Colorado
Los Angeles
California
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 Fort Collins at $1,690/mo compared to $1,933/mo in Los Angeles (13% gap). Home buyers face a steeper market in Los Angeles: the median home is $921,200 versus $577,900 in Fort Collins — 37% more expensive.
Metric
Fort Collins
Los Angeles
Software Developer
Registered Nurse
Elementary Teacher
Electrician
Accountant
Higher wage highlighted · BLS OEWS 2023 (metro-level data)
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Fort Collins
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Los Angeles
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Fort Collins has cleaner air on average: 20.0 AQI (Good) compared to 31.0 AQI (Good) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Pick Fort Collins if you prioritize cheaper rent ($1,690/mo median).
Pick Fort Collins if you prioritize cleaner air quality (avg AQI 20.0).
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
Median rent is $1,690/mo in Fort Collins, CO and $1,933/mo in Los Angeles, CA. Fort Collins, CO has the lower rent by about 13%.
Median household income is $85,070 in Fort Collins, CO and $81,939 in Los Angeles, CA. Fort Collins, CO has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Fort Collins, CO has better air quality on average: 20.0 AQI versus 31.0 AQI. Both are EPA AirNow annual averages; lower is better.
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: June 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
