Moving to Colorado: What Denver and Colorado Springs Actually Cost, and the Rules Waiting for You

0:00$4,700 more before the driver would unload

Moving to Colorado? Here's what happened to one family at the end of a move to Fort Collins.

In 2019, the family was relocating from Houston. They'd agreed to about thirty-seven hundred and fifty dollars for a full-service move. In Fort Collins, they say, the driver wanted forty-seven hundred dollars more before he'd unload anything. They paid, more than double the agreed price. Then, they say, they found a broken treadmill, a desk with holes in it, and parts of their son's bed missing. A Denver TV station found the company wasn't registered with Colorado's Secretary of State.

Over the next ten minutes: what living in Colorado costs, what the move should cost, the taxes, Denver versus Colorado Springs, and the mountain rules that can stop a moving truck.

I'm Daniel, from Majestic Moving Companies. Our team has more than thirty-five years in the moving industry. Let's get into it.

0:52Price of living in Colorado, by the numbers

So what's the price of living in Colorado? The federal government measures it. In 2024, prices across Colorado ran about three percent above the national average. The Denver area ran about six percent above. And Colorado Springs? Almost exactly average.

The difference is rent. On that same federal index, Denver-area rents ran about forty-six percent above the national level. In Colorado Springs, about fifteen percent above.

The Census Bureau's survey covering 2020 through 2024 put median rent at about eighteen hundred and thirty dollars a month in Denver. In Colorado Springs, about sixteen hundred and fifty. The typical owned home was worth about six hundred and sixteen thousand dollars in Denver, and about four hundred and fifty-three thousand in the Springs. Nationally, about three hundred and thirty-three thousand.

The good news is utilities. Their prices ran below the national level in every Colorado metro the government tracks. In Colorado Springs, the city owns the utility, so electric, gas, water and sewer come on one bill. In Denver, a state-regulated company supplies power and gas, and water is billed separately.

So budget for the rent or the mortgage first. That's where the difference lives.

2:06What a move to Denver costs from 4 cities

So what does moving to Denver cost? Here are fair-price ranges from our calculator, from four big cities. They're for a two-bedroom home, and you do the packing.

From Dallas, it's about eight hundred road miles, up through the Texas Panhandle. Between October and April, thirty-six hundred to fifty-six hundred dollars. Between May and September, about forty-two hundred and fifty to sixty-six hundred.

Chicago and Los Angeles are each about a thousand road miles away. Thirty-eight hundred to about six thousand dollars off-season. Forty-five hundred to about seven thousand in summer.

From New York City, it's about seventeen hundred and eighty road miles. Forty-six hundred and fifty to seventy-three hundred off-season. Fifty-five hundred to eighty-six hundred in summer.

If you'd rather have the crew pack, add about a third.

From Los Angeles, the fastest route crosses the Rockies on Interstate seventy, where winter traction rules apply from September through May. Leave some slack in that delivery date.

And if a price jumps after loading, federal rules limit what a mover can collect at your door. Our video on what long-distance movers cost walks through them.

Know these numbers before the first quote arrives.

Want real numbers for your move? Get free moving quotes at majesticmovingcompanies.com. The form takes about thirty seconds, and we match you with professional movers who cover your route. Want a gut check first? Our free calculator shows a fair price range. So when a quote comes in way under it, you'll know it's not a deal. It's a warning.

3:34Colorado's 4.4% income tax, and your car tax

Most newcomers to Colorado only see the full tax picture after they arrive. For the 2026 tax year, Colorado's income tax is a flat four point four percent of taxable income. On a hundred thousand dollars of taxable income, that's forty-four hundred dollars.

Now property tax. Denver's assessor published an example for a typical single-family home, valued at about six hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Its 2025 property tax came to about thirty-three hundred and seventy dollars. That's roughly half a percent of the home's value.

The surprise is the car. Every year at registration, Colorado charges a specific ownership tax, based on the car's original sticker price and its age. On a car that stickered at forty thousand dollars, that's about seven hundred and fourteen dollars in its first year, and about three hundred in its fourth. Fees come on top. From the tenth year on, the tax is three dollars.

If you work in Denver, the city also takes five dollars and seventy-five cents a month from your paycheck. And in 2026, sales tax is nine point one five percent in Denver, and eight point two in Colorado Springs.

So compare the whole tax bill, not just the income tax.

4:44Living in Denver or Colorado Springs?

Living in Denver, or living in Colorado Springs? They're about seventy road miles apart on Interstate twenty-five, and they suit different people.

Denver is the bigger city, with about seven hundred and forty thousand people in 2025. Its airport handled more than eighty-two million passengers that year. A commuter train runs from Union Station to the airport in about thirty-seven minutes. If you fly a lot, that matters.

Colorado Springs had about four hundred and ninety-five thousand people in 2025. It sits at about six thousand and thirty-five feet, higher than Denver's mile. And it's a military town. The city says it's home to five military installations and more than forty-five thousand active-duty, Guard and Reserve members. Rents and home values run lower than in Denver.

There are more choices along the Front Range. Aurora, next to Denver, has similar rents but lower home values. In Boulder, the typical owned home is worth more than a million dollars. Pueblo, south of the Springs, is the least expensive.

Moving between two Colorado cities? Your mover needs a state permit with the letters H-H-G in its number.

So choose by your commute, your job and your rent.

5:54New in Colorado: 30 days for your license

Just moved to Colorado? Two clocks start, maybe sooner than you think.

Colorado says you're a resident once you take a job here, run a business here, or live here ninety days in a row, whichever comes first. So a new job starts the clock on day one.

From that day, you have thirty days to get a Colorado license. You'll need an appointment, two documents showing your Colorado address, and your old license, which gets hole-punched. With a valid license from another state, there's no written test and no road test. In 2026, the fee is thirty-four dollars.

Your car gets ninety days to be titled and registered. Start with Colorado insurance, because Denver won't accept an out-of-state policy. Then a VIN check, which an emissions station does for about twenty-five dollars. Then register in person at your county office. Miss the ninety days, and late fees run twenty-five dollars a month, up to a hundred.

In Denver and the surrounding metro counties, gas cars more than about seven model years old need a thirty-five-dollar test. In Colorado Springs, gas cars don't need one. Diesels do.

So book that license appointment the week you arrive.

7:02Altitude on moving day: the first 48 hours

Moving to Denver means lifting boxes a mile above sea level.

Denver's official elevation is five thousand two hundred and eighty feet. Colorado Springs is about six thousand and thirty-five. The CDC says altitude illness becomes a risk when you sleep at around eight thousand feet, and sometimes lower. So some newcomers notice it even in the city.

The main sign is a headache, often with tiredness, nausea or poor sleep. It usually starts within the first day, and often fades within a day or two if you don't go higher.

Colorado's health department advises this. Drink two to three liters of water a day, because the air is dry. Go easy on alcohol for the first day or two. And avoid hard exertion for the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours. On moving day, pace yourself, and let the crew carry the heavy pieces.

The sun is stronger up here too, so wear sunscreen while you unload.

Anyone with a heart or lung condition should talk to a doctor before the move. And if someone gets confused, struggles to breathe, or has chest pain, get medical help right away.

Spend a day or two in the city before you head into the mountains.

8:09I-70 traction law: September 1 to May 31

Driving into Colorado from the west? Then know the I-70 traction law.

Every year from September first through May thirty-first, it covers Interstate seventy between Dotsero and Morrison, in the mountains west of Denver. When the signs say it's on, all-wheel or four-wheel drive needs snow-rated or all-weather tires with at least three-sixteenths of an inch of tread. Since a 2025 change, two-wheel drive needs chains or an approved traction device, whatever its tires. In a bad storm, every passenger vehicle can be required to have chains or a traction device. That's the last step before the road closes.

Rental trucks have a catch. The state patrol says Colorado's chain law for big vehicles goes by weight rating, not by whether you're a business. Rated at sixteen thousand and one pounds or more? Then your truck chains up like a semi when that law is on. One big rental company rates its twenty-six-foot truck at just under twenty-six thousand.

In March 2023, a Denver TV station reported on a family moving from Las Vegas to Denver. They'd pulled their rental truck over on a wet, icy stretch of I-70. It was hit from behind, and most of what they owned ended up across the highway.

So check COtrip dot org before you go.

9:24Snow, hail, wildfire: when to move to Colorado

When should you move to Colorado? Each season brings its own weather to plan around.

Snow first. In Denver, the National Weather Service puts the average first measurable snow around October eighteenth, and the last around April twenty-eighth. The snowiest month isn't December. It's March. An off-season move costs less, but build in a spare day.

Then hail. The insurance industry calls the Front Range Hail Alley, with a damaging season from mid-April to mid-September. Colorado's insurance regulator found hail makes up about a quarter to more than half of a homeowner's premium, depending on the county. And many policies set the hail deductible as a percentage. On five hundred thousand dollars of coverage, a two percent deductible means the first ten thousand dollars is yours.

And wildfire. On December thirtieth, 2021, the Marshall Fire destroyed more than a thousand homes in Boulder County. When the state studied the total losses, only eight percent of those homes had guaranteed replacement coverage.

So line up home insurance well before you close. Ask what it would cost to rebuild, not what the house sold for. And ask whether your deductible is a dollar amount or a percentage.

In Colorado, the policy matters as much as the moving date.

10:39The short version

So here's the short version. Budget for rent first. Know the fair price for your route before you sign. Get your license within thirty days, and your car registered within ninety. Take it easy for your first two days at altitude. And from September through May, check the I-70 rules before you cross the mountains.

If you want help, go to majesticmovingcompanies.com. Get free quotes from professional movers who cover your route. It takes about thirty seconds, or you can chat with Robert, our moving assistant. And while you're there, there's a lot more to help you plan: guides on moving costs, delivery windows, car shipping and more.

I'm Daniel. Welcome to Colorado.