Colorado Springs vs Denver Housing Costs: What the Numbers Show
Reported figures put housing in Colorado Springs roughly 16% to 23% below Denver, but the gap depends on the source and the measure. Here is how to read it before you move.
Each site defines housing costs and builds its comparison differently, so the figures measure slightly different things. Read the gap as a range, not a single number, and treat it as a starting point rather than a verdict on any one home.
How do the reported figures compare side by side?
The four reported figures all put Colorado Springs below Denver, but they measure different things, so the gap is a range rather than one number.
That is the only housing figure in the table that is a plain share of total housing costs, so it is the easiest one to read against your own budget.
Use the range, and do not treat any single row as the answer for a specific move.
The guide and the comparison sites are not official government data. Each one is a provider's comparison, built with its own method, so the figures show direction and rough size rather than exact values.
What does the lower price gap mean for a buyer?
A lower price gap can give a buyer more room, but the figure describes market averages, not one house. Redfin shows a Colorado Springs home for sale at $567,500, and that number is a sample only, not a price you can count on [1]. Use it to picture the math, not as a benchmark for your search. For the next step, see Average Rent in Colorado Springs by Home Size and Source.
Redfin reports that housing in Colorado Springs costs 18% less than in Denver [1]. On a $567,500 home, that gap comes to about $102,000 [1]. For a buyer with a fixed budget, that difference may reach a larger house, more land, or a different neighborhood, rather than the same house at a discount.
The gap applies to averages across the market, not to a specific house. Judge each property on its own price, size and location.
If you are choosing between a single-family house and a condo, compare each type separately, because an average can mix very different homes. Lot size, age, and the school or commute you need will change what a budget buys more than a citywide percentage will.
Before you set a budget, check current listings for the exact home type you want, such as a three-bedroom single-family house in the neighborhoods you are considering. Prices and inventory change, so a sample from one listing page will not tell you what is available today.
Is the whole cost of living lower, or just housing?
Colorado Springs has a lower overall cost of living than Denver, but the total gap is smaller than the gap in housing. One comparison site reports overall cost of living in Colorado Springs 8.6% lower than Denver [2]. For a household, that is a real difference, though it is not a discount on everything it buys.
Two reported figures
A separate relocation guide dated February 13, 2026 puts the overall gap at about 8% to 12% lower [3]. The same guide says the most significant savings are in housing prices [3]. Both figures point the same way: the total gap is real, but it is narrower than the savings on a home purchase.
Why housing drives the gap
When housing is the largest share of a budget, a lower price there carries most of the weight in the total. Everyday spending is spread across many smaller items, so its difference is harder to see in one number. That is why the overall figure looks smaller than the housing figure.
What your total budget depends on
A household's total budget depends on three things: income, commute and spending. A lower home price does not help much if a much longer drive to work adds fuel and time each week. The same goes for pay that stays tied to Denver employers.
Take two buyers who buy homes at the same reported savings. The one who commutes farther may keep little of that gap once transportation is added. Work out your own monthly numbers for income, commute and spending before you decide which city fits your budget.
Why do the housing cost numbers not match?
The figures differ mainly because each provider measures something different, and the reports were written in different months. Treat them as separate comparisons that give a range, not as one settled number.
The measures are not the same
Apartments.com reports that the average housing price in Colorado Springs is 15.9% lower than in Denver [2]. That figure describes home prices. Redfin's calculator compares housing costs more broadly and reports that housing in Colorado Springs costs 18% less [1]. A price average and a wider cost comparison answer different questions, so their percentages should not be read as the same thing. For more detail, see Colorado Springs CO Housing Market: Prices, Inventory and Pace.
The publication dates differ
The 719 Lending comparison is dated December 16, 2025, and reports that housing costs are 23.0% lower in Colorado Springs [4]. The Denver Living Homes guide is dated February 13, 2026, and puts overall cost of living 8% to 12% lower [3]. A market can move between those reports, so an older figure may not match a newer one.
Each figure comes from one provider
None of these figures is an official government statistic. Each one is a comparison by a single company or website, using its own data and its own method. A lender, a rental site, a relocation guide and a home search tool each chose what to measure. If a site does not say which measure it used, treat its number with more caution.
Compare like with like
When you decide, compare the same measure from the same source. A matched pair shows you a real gap, while mixing a price average with a broader cost comparison can make the gap look larger or smaller than it is.
So which city costs less to live in?
Colorado Springs is the cheaper city for housing in every comparison reported here. Redfin puts housing 18% less expensive there [1]. Apartments.com puts the average housing price 15.9% lower, and 719 Lending puts housing costs 23.0% lower [4][2].
Across total cost of living, the gap is smaller, roughly 8% to 12% lower [3][2].
Your next step is to pull current listings for the home type you want in both cities and test the prices against your own monthly budget. Housing prices change, so check today's figures before you decide where to buy.