State comparison
Colorado vs Utah: which state is better to live in?
Utah costs a median household about $510 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,200 a year against $2,616 in Colorado.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 4 categories
Utah
Moderate tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Utah
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. Utah has a flat 4.65% income tax, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,319 a year. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.44% in Utah (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $2,200, so Utah has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 7.19% in Utah; Utah 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, $7,128 in Utah. Utah is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Utah's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Utah is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $500K in Utah (Zillow, 2024), a $45K gap in Utah's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,650 in Utah.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $900 in Utah, so Utah is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 237 in Utah (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Utah is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 91% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 2,280 in Utah, again favoring Utah.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 79.2 in Utah (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.4-year edge for Utah. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Utah's 31st, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 9.8% in Utah, 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 Utah's 37th, 28 places apart in Colorado's favor. Utah 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 Utah went to Trump by 13 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Utah has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Utah is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Colorado and banned with narrow exceptions in Utah, and marijuana is legal for adults in Colorado and medical only in Utah as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $7.25 in Utah.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and moderate in Utah (drought, wildfire, earthquake), so Utah is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 55 in Utah (under 50 is good), favoring Colorado.
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
4
Colorado
10
Utah
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Utah better to live in?
Utah wins more of the measures that decide a move. Utah on taxes ($7,128 a year for a median household against $7,634); Utah on everyday costs (index 101 against 110); Utah on safety (237 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 37th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Utah?
Utah is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $500K in Utah (2024). On state and local taxes Utah saves a median household about $510 a year.
Does Colorado or Utah have lower taxes?
Utah. 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 $7,128 in Utah ($3,319 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,609 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or Utah?
Utah, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 237 in Utah; property crime is 2,859 against 2,280.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Utah?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Utah 37th. Utah also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Colorado or Utah better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Utah taxes 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 $2,200 in Utah.