I'm Leah Behr, a REALTOR® with the Behr & Behr Team. I moved to Colorado Springs in 2009 and I've sold real estate here through everything that's happened since. So when someone tells me they're thinking about moving to Colorado Springs, I try to give them the version I'd want if it were my own family, including the parts that don't make the relocation brochures.
Here's the honest headline, and it's the thing most guides are years out of date on: Colorado Springs is not a cheap city anymore. It's an average-cost American city where local wages run below average. That's a very different proposition than the one people arrive expecting, and getting it wrong is how relocations go badly.
What it actually costs to live here
Cost of living in Colorado Springs sits at roughly 1% above the national average, or about 5% below the Colorado state average, so we're cheap relative to Denver and Boulder, not relative to America (C2ER Cost of Living Index, published March 2026).
Meanwhile the average weekly wage here is $1,421 against a national average of $1,569, about 9% below (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Q4 2025). That gap is the single most important number on this page. National costs, below-national pay.
Here's what a household actually needs, before tax:
Household | Annual income required |
|---|---|
One adult, no children | $50,185 |
One adult, one child | $96,011 |
Two working adults, two children | $134,846 |
Source: MIT Living Wage Calculator, Colorado Springs metro area, data dated February 2026.
Now hold that against reality: median household income in El Paso County is $90,778 (Census SAIPE, 2024). That is below what a single parent with one child needs. Not below comfortable. Below the living-wage threshold.
The line item that does most of the damage is childcare. $17,879 a year for one child in the MIT model, which is the largest single non-housing expense a working parent here faces. As someone doing preschool drop-off, I can tell you that number is not theoretical. I've written a fuller breakdown of what salary you actually need if you want the detail.
Housing, specifically
The median single-family sale price across the Pikes Peak region was right at $500,000 in June 2026, essentially flat year over year. Homes averaged 42 to 45 days on market, with about 3.1 to 3.3 months of supply (Pikes Peak REALTOR® Services Corp.). Thirty-year mortgage rates were around 6.58% in late July (Freddie Mac).
The number that actually matters if you're buying: roughly 44% of listings are taking a price cut, averaging about 2.4%. PPAR's board president describes the market as balanced, and on months-of-supply alone that's fair. But sellers cutting price at that rate means buyers have meaningfully more use than the headline suggests.
The expense nobody warns you about: insurance
This is the part of the conversation that surprises out-of-state buyers most, and it's worth understanding before you write an offer rather than after.
In February 2026 the Colorado Division of Insurance published an analysis of 20 carriers covering about 80% of the market. The finding: hail accounts for roughly a quarter to half of a Colorado homeowner's total premium depending on county, averaging around 50% along the Front Range. Wildfire, which is what everyone worries about, accounts for as little as 1% in some counties.
It's hail. It has always been hail. The July 2016 Colorado Springs storm alone caused about $352.8 million in insured losses, roughly $485 million in today's money, and the largest single hail event to hit this region (Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association).
Colorado's average annual homeowners premium reached about $3,996 in 2025, up 33%, moving the state to sixth most expensive in the country (Insurify). Quote comparisons for Colorado Springs specifically show an enormous spread. One aggregator's 2025 modeling put the average for $300,000 of dwelling coverage at $5,804 a year against a cheapest quoted carrier at $2,585. Treat those as a shopping range rather than a price, but the lesson holds: the spread between carriers here is more than 2x, so shop it properly.
Two things changed in the last month that work in your favor
- HB25-1182 took effect July 1, 2026. Insurers using wildfire risk models must now send you annual written notice of your property's wildfire risk score and classification, and give you the right to appeal that score directly to the insurer. You can ask for it and you can contest it.
- SB26-155 takes effect August 12, 2026. It creates a state enterprise funded by insurer fees, with at least 90% going to homeowner grants for impact-resistant roof systems. Given hail drives roughly half the premium here, a state-funded resilient roof program is genuinely significant. A fortified roof is estimated to save El Paso County homeowners around $388 a year.
Property taxes just jumped, and it isn't your home's value
If you're buying here you'll hear people complain about their 2026 tax bill. Here's what actually happened, because the explanation matters for budgeting.
Colorado calculates property tax as actual value × assessment rate × mill levy. Two things changed at once on January 1, 2026: the $55,000 value discount expired, and the school-district assessment rate rose from 6.7% to 7.05%. The local-government rate is 6.8% for 2026, confirmed by the El Paso County Assessor.
The result is bills rising on values that didn't move. One Denver example showed a $500,000 home going from about $2,360 to $2,680, a 13% increase, and Colorado Politics has documented increases as high as 40%.
The detail almost everyone gets wrong: there is a new subtraction for 2026, 10% of actual value capped at $70,000, but it applies only to the local-government portion, not to school district mills. And 2026 is an intervening year, so actual values don't get reassessed; only rates and exemptions changed. If you want the full mechanics, this piece on real estate versus property taxes is a good primer.
The job market, honestly
Unemployment here is 3.8% as of May 2026, below the national rate. That's the good news.
The less good news is that Colorado Springs nonfarm employment fell by 1,300 jobs, about 0.4%, in the twelve months to May 2026. Information was down 11.8%, trade and transport down 4.8%, construction down 4.8%, manufacturing down 2.8%. Financial activities grew 5.3% (BLS).
You'll also hear about U.S. Space Command's headquarters moving to Alabama, announced in September 2025, and you'll hear the number 30,000 attached to it. That figure is wrong. Roughly 1,700 employees are directly assigned to the headquarters. The 30,000 was a projection of gains for Alabama, not losses for Colorado. Huntsville's own estimate was about 1,400 jobs over five years (The Colorado Sun). Colorado's aerospace sector runs to roughly 240,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The practical read: if you're bringing remote income, Colorado Springs is a good deal. If you'll be earning locally, run your specific field's numbers here before you commit.
"Is everyone leaving Colorado?"
You'll see this online constantly, and the answer is more interesting than either side admits.
Colorado Springs is growing. The city added 2,288 residents in the year ending July 2025, the largest one-year numeric gain of any city in Colorado. El Paso County added 4,684 and remains the state's most populous county at roughly 757,000 (Census Vintage 2025, via the Colorado State Demography Office).
And Colorado as a whole lost people to other states. Net domestic migration went negative for the first time in twenty years, with 12,100 more residents leaving for other states than arriving. Colorado Springs' own net migration is down about 29% from 2015 levels (Colorado Politics, citing the State Demographer's Office).
Both are true. Growth here is real but slower, sustained more by births and international migration than by Americans relocating in. That's a meaningfully different market than 2021, and it's part of why sellers are cutting price.
Weather, altitude, and one myth worth killing
The 300 days of sunshine thing
You will see this claim everywhere. It isn't true. A Colorado Sun fact-check using decades of national climate data put Denver at roughly 252 sunny days, ranked 30th nationally. It's marketing, not meteorology. It is genuinely sunny here, just not 300 days sunny.
Snow
Less than you're picturing, and less than Denver. Colorado Springs averages 32.5 inches a year against Denver's 49.0 (NOAA climate normals, 1991–2020). Every month of the year averages a high above freezing, which is why it rarely lingers.
Altitude
The city sits around 6,035 feet, roughly 750 above Denver. Most acclimation happens in the first three to five days; full adjustment to this elevation takes about three weeks. Worth knowing: altitude sickness symptoms typically begin around 8,000 feet, which is well above where the city sits. You may feel short of breath and sleep badly for a week or two, and you'll need more water and more sunscreen than you're used to. Pikes Peak at 14,115 feet is where altitude becomes a genuine medical consideration. Not your living room.
Hail, again
Since it drives your insurance, it's worth saying plainly: hail season runs roughly April through September, and it is a normal fact of homeownership here rather than a rare event. Impact-resistant roofing is worth the conversation with your insurer, especially with the state grant program arriving in August.
Traffic, water, and healthcare
Powers Boulevard
Commutes here are genuinely short. The citywide mean is about 23 minutes, a minute and a half less than Denver (Census ACS, 2024). But Powers Boulevard, the main north-south artery on the east side, currently functions as a highway with more than a dozen traffic lights on it. The northern extension is targeted for 2030; the southern extension to I-25 doesn't have construction funding. CDOT's ten-year plan includes only two Powers projects. If you're considering the east side, drive it at 7:45am on a weekday first.
Water
Better here than most of the Front Range. Despite record-low mountain snowpack in 2026, Colorado Springs Utilities did not impose drought surcharges this year, because reservoir storage holds roughly three years' supply, above the threshold that triggers them. Denver Water, by comparison, went to Stage 1 restrictions in March with surcharges. Colorado Springs Utilities limits outdoor watering to three days a week with no watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.; check the current rules on the utility's own page before you plant (The Colorado Sun, April 2026).
Healthcare
Costs run about 4% below the national average, which compares very favorably to Denver at 19% above. Access is a separate question. Local reporting has documented physician shortages and long waits for some specialties. If you have an ongoing condition, check availability in your specific specialty before you move, not after.
What's genuinely good about it
I've spent most of this page on the hard parts because that's what's missing elsewhere. So, fairly:
- The market has cooled in buyers' favor. Flat prices, 44% of listings cutting, real negotiating room. Three years ago none of that was true.
- You're roughly $116,000 below Denver's median: $499,999 here against $616,000 across the Denver metro (PPAR and DMAR, June 2026).
- Healthcare costs below national, unemployment below national.
- Less snow than Denver, and mountains at the end of most streets. The trail access here is not marketing. It's genuinely at the end of the road in Mountain Shadows, Rockrimmon, and the whole west side.
- Water security is better than most Front Range peers, which matters more every year.
- Colorado's income tax is a flat 4.40% with no local income tax on top.
Common questions
Can I afford to move to Colorado Springs?
That depends almost entirely on whether you are bringing income with you. With remote or out-of-state income, the numbers work comfortably. Earning locally, the math is tighter than the reputation suggests. Costs sit at the national average while wages run about 9% below it. For the day-to-day texture rather than the budget, I wrote what it is really like to live here separately.
How much money do you need to move to Colorado Springs?
For a single adult, the living-wage threshold is about $50,000 before tax. A single parent with one child needs roughly $96,000, and a two-child dual-earner household about $135,000 (MIT Living Wage Calculator, February 2026). On top of income, budget for a homeowners insurance premium well above the national average, and property taxes that rose this year on flat valuations.
Why are people moving out of Colorado Springs?
Broadly, they aren't. The city posted the largest population gain of any Colorado city in the year to July 2025. What's true is that Colorado statewide lost 12,100 net residents to other states, the first time in two decades, and that in-migration here has slowed about 29% from its 2015 pace. Cost and wage pressure are the usual reasons cited.
Is Colorado Springs cheaper than Denver?
Yes on housing: $499,999 here against $616,000 across the Denver metro in June 2026, a gap of about $116,000, and about 9 percentage points cheaper on overall cost of living. But Denver wages run roughly 28% higher, so purchasing power between the two is closer than the sticker prices suggest. It's a clear win if you bring your income with you and a much narrower one if you'll earn locally.
What should I know before moving to Colorado Springs?
Four things, in order: your homeowners insurance will cost more than you expect and hail is why; your property tax bill went up this year even where values didn't; the job market has been shrinking slightly while costs sit at the national average; and which side of town you choose will shape your daily life more than the house does.
If you're actually doing this
The single best thing you can do is spend a weekday here, not a weekend. Drive the commute at the real hour. Sit in a coffee shop in the two neighborhoods you're weighing. Look at a house on a Tuesday morning in February rather than a Saturday in June.
And when you're ready to narrow it down, tell me your commute, your budget, and what your mornings need to look like. I've done this from the inside since 2009, and I'd rather tell you the honest version now than have you find it out in year two.
Leah Behr is a licensed REALTOR® with the Behr & Behr Team in Colorado Springs. She relocated here herself in 2009 and has spent the years since helping other families do the same. If you want a straight answer about a specific neighborhood, school boundary, or insurance quote, reach out to our team.
Behr & Behr Team is committed to Equal Housing Opportunity. All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified.
