State comparison
Colorado vs Oregon: which state is better to live in?
Colorado costs a median household about $2,500 a year less in state and local taxes than Oregon, mostly because its income tax takes 4.4% of a median income against 8.3% in Oregon.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 6 categories
Oregon
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Oregon
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. Oregon has a graduated income tax topping out at 9.9%, which works out to 8.3% on a median income of $74,580, or $6,207 a year. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.82% in Oregon (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $3,936, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Oregon has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $10,143 in Oregon. Colorado is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Oregon's is 110, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $480K in Oregon (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Oregon's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,700 in Oregon.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $800 in Oregon, so Oregon is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 302 in Oregon (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Oregon is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 50% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 3,078 in Oregon, again favoring Colorado.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 78 in Oregon (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.8-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Oregon's 14th, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 7.1% in Oregon, which favors Oregon. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Oregon's 21st, 12 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 Oregon went to Harris by 14 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Oregon has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A-.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $14.70 in Oregon.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and high in Oregon (wildfire, earthquake, flood). Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 50 in Oregon (under 50 is good).
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
6
Colorado
9
Oregon
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Oregon better to live in?
Colorado wins more of the measures that decide a move. Colorado on taxes ($7,634 a year for a median household against $10,143); Oregon on safety (302 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 21st).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Oregon?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $480K in Oregon (2024). On state and local taxes Colorado saves a median household about $2,500 a year.
Does Colorado or Oregon have lower taxes?
Colorado. 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 $10,143 in Oregon ($6,207 income tax, $3,936 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or Oregon?
Oregon, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 302 in Oregon; property crime is 2,859 against 3,078.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Oregon?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Oregon 21st.
Is Colorado or Oregon better for retirees?
Oregon is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Oregon does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,616 a year in Colorado and $3,936 in Oregon.