PlainRelocate

Denver-Aurora-Centennial → Fort Collins-Loveland

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Denver-Aurora-Centennial to Fort Collins-Loveland is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 105.8 to 101.1 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $357/mo.

-$5,227
BLS median salary lower in Fort Collins-Loveland
481 to 481
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
16.6:1 to 16.6:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$0
DOL infant care higher / yr in Fort Collins-Loveland

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 105.8 → 101.1
Rent Delta: -$357/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 5% lower cost of living
  • + $357/mo cheaper rent (2BR)

Cons of Moving

  • - $5K lower median salary

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 105.8 to 101.1 (ratio 0.96), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $357/mo ($4,284/yr) from $2,089 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial to $1,732 in Fort Collins-Loveland.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 1 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Fort Collins-Loveland sits #371 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Denver-Aurora-Centennial is #377/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,227 lower ($78,519 → $73,292). Labor-market size: 1,580,940 tracked jobs at origin vs 149,520 at destination.

Both metros sit in Colorado: state retirement score 46 (F, #44/51) - tax posture does not change with this move. Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Fort Collins-Loveland
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 105.8
RPP 101.1
Fort Collins-Loveland
Rent (2BR)
$2,089/mo
$1,732/mo
Fort Collins-Loveland
Wages
$78,519
$73,292
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Crime
481 per 100K
481 per 100K
Tie
Schools
16.6:1
16.6:1
Tie
Childcare
$12,821/yr
$12,821/yr
Tie
Environment
5561 violations
5561 violations
Tie

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Colorado
46 F #44/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
90
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
26

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial to see what you'd need to earn in Fort Collins-Loveland to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Fort Collins-Loveland
-
See the reverse: Fort Collins-Loveland → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

Fort Collins-Loveland metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026