PlainRelocate

Fort Collins-Loveland → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

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

+$5,227
BLS median salary higher in Denver-Aurora-Centennial
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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial

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
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 101.1 → 105.8
Rent Delta: +$357/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $5K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 5% higher cost of living
  • - $357/mo more expensive rent (2BR)

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 101.1 to 105.8 (ratio 1.05), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $357/mo ($4,284/yr) from $1,732 in Fort Collins-Loveland to $2,089 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial.

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

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,227 higher ($73,292 → $78,519). Labor-market size: 149,520 tracked jobs at origin vs 1,580,940 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
Fort Collins-Loveland
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 101.1
RPP 105.8
Fort Collins-Loveland
Rent (2BR)
$1,732/mo
$2,089/mo
Fort Collins-Loveland
Wages
$73,292
$78,519
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 Fort Collins-Loveland to see what you'd need to earn in Denver-Aurora-Centennial to maintain the same purchasing power.

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

Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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