State comparison
Colorado vs Texas: which state is better to live in?
Texas costs a median household about $360 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because it has no income tax.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 8 categories
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Texas
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. Texas has no state income tax. Texas wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 1.60% in Texas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $5,440, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 8.19% in Texas; Colorado 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, $7,272 in Texas. Texas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Texas's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Texas is about 13% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $340K in Texas (Zillow, 2024), a $205K gap in Texas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,600 in Texas.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $3,200 in Texas, so Colorado is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 447 in Texas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Texas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 1% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 2,478 in Texas, again favoring Texas.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 76.3 in Texas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.5-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Texas's 36th, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 18.4% in Texas, which favors Colorado. Colorado expanded Medicaid and Texas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Texas's 36th, 27 places apart in Colorado's favor. Texas runs a school-choice voucher program; Colorado does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and Texas went to Trump by 14 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Texas has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Texas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Colorado and banned with narrow exceptions in Texas, and marijuana is legal for adults in Colorado and medical only in Texas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $7.25 in Texas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood), so Colorado is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 43 in Texas (under 50 is good), favoring Texas.
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
8
Colorado
8
Texas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Texas better to live in?
Texas wins more of the measures that decide a move. Texas on taxes ($7,272 a year for a median household against $7,634); Texas on everyday costs (index 97 against 110); Texas on safety (447 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 36th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Texas?
Texas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $340K in Texas (2024). On state and local taxes Texas saves a median household about $360 a year.
Does Colorado or Texas have lower taxes?
Texas. 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 $7,272 in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or Texas?
Texas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 447 in Texas; property crime is 2,859 against 2,478.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Texas?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Texas 36th. Texas also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Colorado or Texas better for retirees?
Texas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Texas does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,616 a year in Colorado and $5,440 in Texas.