Colorado city guide
Moving From California to Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado's second largest city, built around Fort Carson, Peterson and Schriever Space Force Base, and the Air Force Academy, at roughly a third less housing cost than Denver.
Housing comparison
California versus Colorado Springs, side by side
- Median home value
- $725,800
- $452,600
- Median annual property tax
- $5,114
- $1,822
- Median monthly cost, owners with a mortgage
- $2,844
- $2,063
- Population
- 39.0 million (state)
- 487,887
Figures are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates for the city place. Property tax and monthly cost rows cover owner-occupied units with a mortgage, so they describe what current owners pay, not what a new buyer would pay at today's prices. California column is the statewide baseline used across this site.
Why Californians look at Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs sits an hour south of Denver along Interstate 25, at the base of Pikes Peak, and it has grown into the state's second largest city on the strength of a defense and military economy that Denver does not have. For a California household comparing the two metros, Colorado Springs is consistently the cheaper option with a housing stock large enough to actually choose from.
The city's identity is inseparable from the military. Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, and the U.S. Air Force Academy together account for a large share of area employment and payroll, and that base has historically insulated the local economy from the swings that hit purely commodity or tourism towns.
For a seller leaving coastal California, the math is favorable but not dramatic the way it is in Wyoming. The ACS median home value here is $452,600, well above the small Wyoming cities but still a substantial discount to most California coastal counties, and Colorado does levy a state income tax that Wyoming does not.
Colorado Springs fits you if
- You want a lower-cost Colorado alternative to Denver with a real airport, a full range of hospitals, and mountain access in the same city.
- You or a family member has a military or defense-contractor career; the concentration of bases and contractors here is unmatched in the state.
- You want direct access to Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, and the southern Front Range trail network without a long drive.
- You are comfortable with a spread-out, car-dependent city rather than a compact walkable core.
Look elsewhere if
- You want Denver's deeper job market and cultural scene; Colorado Springs is smaller and more conservative in both respects.
- You are sensitive to hail. The city sits in an active hail corridor and has had several billion-dollar hailstorms in the last decade, which affects home insurance pricing and availability.
- You need California-level income to keep pace with a market that is no longer the bargain it was a decade ago.
- You dislike a heavy military and government presence shaping local politics and the local economy.
Housing in Colorado Springs
The city sprawls across a wide grid from the older, tree-lined neighborhoods near downtown and the Old North End, through mid-century subdivisions on the east side, to newer master-planned communities pushing north toward Monument and south toward Fort Carson. Prices and lot sizes vary enormously by neighborhood, more than in a compact city.
The ACS median home value for the city is $452,600, the median annual real estate tax for owners with a mortgage is $1,822, and the median monthly owner cost with a mortgage is $2,063. Colorado's property tax rates are relatively low by national standards, which keeps the recurring carrying cost below what the home value alone would suggest.
Because so much of the local workforce rotates through military postings, the rental and resale market moves with a steady churn of arrivals and departures tied to duty station cycles, which keeps inventory moving even when the broader Front Range market slows.
Work and the local economy
Fort Carson is one of the largest employers in the state, and Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, and the Air Force Academy add a concentration of defense, aerospace, and cybersecurity work found nowhere else in Colorado. Defense contractors have built a substantial private-sector presence around that base.
Beyond defense, healthcare systems including UCHealth Memorial Hospital and Centura Health are large employers, along with a growing tech and outdoor-recreation manufacturing sector. Tourism tied to Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods supports a meaningful hospitality sector as well.
A relocating remote worker fits comfortably here. A household needing local private-sector work outside defense, healthcare, or tourism should research the specific field before committing, since the market is narrower than Denver's.
Climate and setting
Colorado Springs sits at roughly 6,035 feet at the base of Pikes Peak, which gives it cooler summers and more sun than lower-elevation California cities, along with a genuine four-season climate. Winters bring regular snow but it usually melts within days because of intense high-altitude sun.
Summer afternoons frequently bring thunderstorms, and the region is part of a well-documented hail corridor along the Front Range; hail has caused several of the costliest storm events in state history and is a real factor in homeowners insurance cost and availability here.
Low humidity and strong sun mean wide daily temperature swings and a need to watch for wildfire risk in the drier foothill-adjacent neighborhoods, a risk the city has managed directly since the 2012 Waldo Canyon and 2013 Black Forest fires.
Getting around, care, and schools
- Commercial air
- Colorado Springs Airport (COS) has nonstop service to destinations including Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and several California cities including Santa Ana/Orange County.
- Highways
- Interstate 25 runs north to south through the city; US 24 runs east to west.
- Hospital
- UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central and Centura Penrose-St. Francis Health Services.
- Public schools
- Colorado Springs is served by multiple districts, including Colorado Springs School District 11 and Academy School District 20.
- Higher education
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado College, Pikes Peak State College, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
- Elevation
- About 6,035 feet.
The trade-offs
- Hail is a real and recurring risk here, and it shows up in homeowners insurance premiums and, in some neighborhoods, availability.
- The economy leans heavily on defense and military spending; federal budget decisions have a direct local effect that Denver does not feel as acutely.
- The city is spread out and largely car-dependent, without Denver's transit network.
- Wildfire risk exists in some foothill-adjacent neighborhoods and should be checked address by address before buying.
Other Colorado towns people compare
Fort Collins
A university town at the north end of the Front Range, built around Colorado State University, with the strongest walkability and mountain access combination among the state's larger cities.
Littleton
An established south Denver metro suburb along the South Platte River, with mature neighborhoods, light rail into downtown Denver, and no metro district assessments on most existing homes.
Loveland
A quieter northern Front Range market between Fort Collins and the mountains, with strong medical-sector employment and a lower entry price than its university neighbor.
Grand Junction
The main city of Colorado's Western Slope, with a mild high-desert climate, wine country nearby, and home prices roughly half of many Front Range and California markets.
Castle Rock
A fast-growing Douglas County town between Denver and Colorado Springs, known for top-rated schools and heavy new construction, at the highest price point among Colorado's Front Range secondary markets.
Statewide figures, tax detail, and the full Colorado picture are on the Colorado page. Compare property, income, and sales tax across all 49 destination states on Taxes, and see where Californians are actually moving on Stats.
Sources
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25077 (median home value), retrieved via Census Reporter, September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25088 (median selected monthly owner costs, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B01003 (total population), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- City of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs Airport nonstop route map, coloradosprings.gov.
- Fort Carson (FCCO) Fact Sheet, home.army.mil.
- UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, uchealth.org.
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