What is the cost of living in Fort Collins-Loveland?

Fort Collins-Loveland has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 101.1, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 120.6, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,732/month.

What is the median salary in Fort Collins-Loveland?

The median salary in Fort Collins-Loveland is $73,292 annually (mean: $77,152). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers.

How safe is Fort Collins-Loveland?

The violent crime rate in the Fort Collins-Loveland area is 481 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 2641 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Fort Collins-Loveland?

The state of CO has 1,923 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 16.6:1. Charter schools make up 14% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Fort Collins-Loveland?

Infant center-based childcare in the Fort Collins-Loveland area averages $12,821 per year. Preschool averages $11,013/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Fort Collins-Loveland a good place to relocate?

Fort Collins-Loveland has a Life Score of 42.4/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Fort Collins-Loveland sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Fort Collins-Loveland ranks #371 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO

LiveAbility 29/100 places Fort Collins-Loveland #371 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

101.1
Cost index (US=100): $1,732
2BR rent / mo: $73,292
Median salary: 29
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Fort Collins-Loveland ranks #371 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (29/100), with its strongest marks in job market and schools.

#371
of 387 US metros · Well below median: 5,957,493
metro-area population: 481
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,923
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (5/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Fort Collins-Loveland ranks #371 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 101.1 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,732/mo, median salary $73,292; LiveAbility Score 29/100, strongest in job market and schools.

Signature: LiveAbility 29/100 places Fort Collins-Loveland #371 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 101.1 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,732/mo.

LiveAbility 29/100 puts Fort Collins-Loveland in the bottom third (#371 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Fort Collins-Loveland area is 149,520.

Fort Collins-Loveland vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

29 Top 96% higher than 4% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Fort Collins-Loveland housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Fort Collins-Loveland MSA; housing RPP 120.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,732/mo.

Studio

$1,509

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,537

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,732

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,385

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,540

/month

Fort Collins-Loveland wages and employment

Fort Collins-Loveland posts 149,520 total employment with median salary $73,292 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$73,292

Mean Salary

$77,152

Total Employment

149,520

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$34,850
Retail Salespersons	$36,640
Cashiers	$35,980
Stockers and Order Fillers	$40,280
Waiters and Waitresses	$47,360

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Fort Collins-Loveland area from NCES.

Schools

1,923

Enrollment

871,440

Student:Teacher

16.6:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Fort Collins-Loveland area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$12,821

per year

Toddler (Center)

$11,897

per year

Preschool (Center)

$11,013

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Fort Collins-Loveland's composite Life Score is 42.4/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

17/100

Bottom decile

Wages

87/100

Elite

Rent

19/100

Bottom decile

Crime

6/100

Bottom decile

Schools

63/100

Above average

Childcare

23/100

Weak

Environment

92/100

Elite

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Fort Collins-Loveland ranks #371 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 29/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Job market (87/100)

Job market

87
Schools

37
Low hazard

36
Housing

19
Cost of living

17
Air quality

9
Safety

6
Climate

5

What this shows Fort Collins-Loveland's strongest dimensions are job market and schools; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 5/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Fort Collins-Loveland to

Battle Creek Bay City Beaumont-Port Arthur Beckley Bellingham Bend

Metros near Fort Collins-Loveland on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Fort Collins-Loveland on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Fort Collins-Loveland cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Fort Collins-Loveland wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Fort Collins-Loveland?

Fort Collins-Loveland runs a $73,292 median salary at a 101.1 cost index, ranking #371 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Fort Collins-Loveland's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Fort Collins-Loveland head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Fort Collins-Loveland
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.