Winston-Salem Colorado Springs

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Winston-Salem to Colorado Springs is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 92.0 to 100.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $775/mo.

+$8,989
BLS median salary higher in Colorado Springs
365 to 481
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.8:1 to 16.6:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,334
DOL infant care higher / yr in Colorado Springs

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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 92.0 → 100.7
Rent Delta: +$775/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $9K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 9% higher cost of living
  • - $775/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 92.0 to 100.7, so the same paycheck buys less in Colorado Springs (ratio 1.09). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $775/mo ($9,300/yr) from $960 in Winston-Salem to $1,735 in Colorado Springs.

Winston-Salem still leads on 6 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Colorado Springs sits #364 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Winston-Salem is #82/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,989 higher ($63,918 → $72,907). Labor-market size: 259,100 tracked jobs at origin vs 304,920 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: North Carolina scores 68 (C, #13/51) vs Colorado at 46 (F, #44/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Winston-Salem
Colorado Springs
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 92.0
RPP 100.7
Winston-Salem
Rent (2BR)
$960/mo
$1,735/mo
Winston-Salem
Wages
$63,918
$72,907
Colorado Springs
Crime
365 per 100K
481 per 100K
Winston-Salem
Schools
15.8:1
16.6:1
Winston-Salem
Childcare
$9,487/yr
$12,821/yr
Winston-Salem
Environment
3120 violations
5561 violations
Winston-Salem

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 · North Carolina
68 C #13/51
Income tax
68
Property tax
66
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
30
Destination 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 Winston-Salem to see what you'd need to earn in Colorado Springs to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Colorado Springs
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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