State comparison
Colorado vs Idaho: which state is better to live in?
Idaho costs a median household about $550 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,040 a year against $2,616 in Colorado.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 5 categories
Idaho
Moderate tax burden · COL index 96
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Idaho
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Idaho has a flat 5.8% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,698 a year. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.48% in Idaho (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $2,040.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 6.02% in Idaho; Idaho is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $7,085 in Idaho. Idaho is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Idaho's is 96, where 100 is the national average; Idaho is about 15% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $425K in Idaho (Zillow, 2024), a $120K gap in Idaho's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,500 in Idaho.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $800 in Idaho, so Idaho is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 228 in Idaho (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Idaho is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 99% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 1,535 in Idaho, again favoring Idaho.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 77.7 in Idaho (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.1-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Idaho's 32nd, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 9.0% in Idaho, which favors Colorado. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Idaho's 30th, 21 places apart in Colorado's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and Idaho went to Trump by 30 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Idaho has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Idaho is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Colorado and banned with narrow exceptions in Idaho, and marijuana is legal for adults in Colorado and illegal in Idaho as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $7.25 in Idaho.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and moderate in Idaho (wildfire, earthquake), so Idaho is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 48 in Idaho (under 50 is good), favoring Idaho.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
5
Colorado
9
Idaho
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Idaho better to live in?
Idaho wins more of the measures that decide a move. Idaho on taxes ($7,085 a year for a median household against $7,634); Idaho on everyday costs (index 96 against 110); Idaho on safety (228 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 30th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Idaho?
Idaho is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 96 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $425K in Idaho (2024). On state and local taxes Idaho saves a median household about $550 a year.
Does Colorado or Idaho have lower taxes?
Idaho. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax) and $7,085 in Idaho ($3,698 income tax, $2,040 property tax on the median home and $1,347 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or Idaho?
Idaho, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 228 in Idaho; property crime is 2,859 against 1,535.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Idaho?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Idaho 30th.
Is Colorado or Idaho better for retirees?
Idaho is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Idaho does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,616 a year in Colorado and $2,040 in Idaho.