State comparison
Colorado vs Vermont: which state is better to live in?
Colorado costs a median household about $3,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Vermont, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,616 a year against $6,574 in Vermont.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 5 categories
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Vermont
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. Vermont has a graduated income tax topping out at 8.75%, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,317 a year. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 1.73% in Vermont (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $6,574, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 6.22% in Vermont; Vermont 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, $11,282 in Vermont. Colorado is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Vermont's is 111, where 100 is the national average; Colorado is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $380K in Vermont (Zillow, 2024), a $165K gap in Vermont's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,600 in Vermont.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $900 in Vermont, so Vermont is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 167 in Vermont (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Vermont is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 171% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 1,390 in Vermont, again favoring Vermont.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 79.8 in Vermont (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.0-year edge for Vermont. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Vermont's 5th, so Vermont scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 3.8% in Vermont, which favors Vermont. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Vermont's 6th, 3 places apart in Vermont's favor. Vermont 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 Vermont went to Harris by 31 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Vermont has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Vermont is the friendlier state for gun owners.
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 $13.67 in Vermont.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter), so Vermont is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 27 in Vermont (under 50 is good), favoring Vermont.
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
10
Vermont
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Vermont better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Colorado on taxes ($7,634 a year for a median household against $11,282); Colorado on everyday costs (index 110 against 111); Vermont on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Vermont on schools (ranked 6th against 9th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Vermont?
Colorado is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 110 against 111. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $380K in Vermont (2024). On state and local taxes Colorado saves a median household about $3,600 a year.
Does Colorado or Vermont 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 $11,282 in Vermont ($3,317 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or Vermont?
Vermont, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 167 in Vermont; property crime is 2,859 against 1,390.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Vermont?
Vermont. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Vermont 6th. Vermont also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Colorado or Vermont better for retirees?
Colorado is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Vermont taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,616 a year in Colorado and $6,574 in Vermont.