?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

Castle Rock, CO vs Highlands Ranch, CO

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Castle Rock needs about $89,500 in Highlands Ranch to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Highlands Ranch, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $80,500 in Castle Rock.

A few differences

Castle Rock vs Highlands Ranch · facet by facet
FacetCastle Rock, COHighlands Ranch, CO
Median home price$652,900$712,700
2-bedroom rent$2,003/mo$2,389/mo
Property tax rate0.5%0.5%
State & local income tax2.89%2.89%
Sales tax7.8%7.8%
Cost of living index126135
Groceries index100100
Utilities$160/mo$160/mo
Median household income$145,197$159,307
Unemployment rate3.7%3.7%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating6.5/106.5/10
Sunny days / year245 days245 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Castle Rock, CO · Highlands Ranch, CO
Questions & answers
Is Castle Rock cheaper than Highlands Ranch?
Castle Rock has the lower day-to-day cost index (126 vs 135 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Highlands Ranch equals $85,000 in Castle Rock?
A household earning $85,000 in Castle Rock needs about $89,500 in Highlands Ranch to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Highlands Ranch lifestyle costs about $80,500 in Castle Rock.