What is Colorado Springs's cost-of-living index?

Colorado Springs's composite cost-of-living index is about 103, meaning overall costs run roughly 3% above the US average of 100. Housing is the main driver, while some categories sit near or below average.

Is Colorado Springs expensive?

Colorado Springs is slightly above the national average overall, mostly due to housing. It is generally cheaper than Denver and many coastal metros but pricier than the lowest-cost US regions.

How is the index calculated?

A cost-of-living index weights categories like housing, groceries, transportation, utilities, and healthcare against a US baseline of 100. The composite is a weighted average, with housing carrying the largest share.

What does buying power mean here?

Buying power converts your local income into average-cost dollars. If the index is above 100, your income buys less than the same dollars would in an average-cost city, and the figure shown is lower than your income.

Are these exact figures?

They are representative benchmarks, not live survey data. Real costs vary by neighborhood and lifestyle, so treat the output as a planning estimate rather than a precise quote.

Colorado Springs Cost-of-Living Index

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This tool benchmarks the cost of living in Colorado Springs against the US average. Colorado Springs has a composite index of about 103 (US = 100), meaning overall costs run a few percent above average — driven mainly by housing.

How it works

A cost-of-living index sets the US average at 100. To compare incomes between cities, the tool scales by the ratio of indices:

purchasing power (avg dollars) = income * (100 / local index)
equivalent income (target city) = income * (target index / local index)

Each category — housing, groceries, transportation, utilities, healthcare — has its own index, and the composite is their weighted average.

Example

If you earn $70,000 in Colorado Springs (index 103), your buying power in an average-cost city is about 70000 * (100 / 103) = $67,961. To keep the same lifestyle in a city with an index of 130, you would need about 70000 * (130 / 103) = $88,350.

Notes

These are representative benchmarks, not live survey data. Housing carries the most weight, so neighborhood choice changes your real figure substantially. Use the output for planning, then verify with current local rent and price data.