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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Fort Collins, CO vs Lakewood, 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 Fort Collins needs about $88,000 in Lakewood to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Lakewood, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $82,000 in Fort Collins.

A few differences

Fort Collins vs Lakewood · facet by facet
FacetFort Collins, COLakewood, CO
Median home price$577,900$574,400
2-bedroom rent$1,672/mo$1,834/mo
Property tax rate0.5%0.5%
State & local income tax2.89%2.89%
Sales tax7.8%7.8%
Cost of living index117119
Groceries index100100
Utilities$160/mo$160/mo
Median household income$85,070$89,792
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: Fort Collins, CO · Lakewood, CO
Questions & answers
Is Fort Collins cheaper than Lakewood?
Fort Collins has the lower day-to-day cost index (117 vs 119 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Lakewood equals $85,000 in Fort Collins?
A household earning $85,000 in Fort Collins needs about $88,000 in Lakewood to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Lakewood lifestyle costs about $82,000 in Fort Collins.