State comparison
Colorado vs Wyoming: which state is better to live in?
Wyoming costs a median household about $4,500 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 5 categories
Wyoming
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Wyoming
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. Wyoming has no state income tax. Wyoming wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.55% in Wyoming (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $1,925, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado and 5.34% in Wyoming; Wyoming 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, $3,120 in Wyoming. Wyoming is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Wyoming's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Wyoming is about 9% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $350K in Wyoming (Zillow, 2024), a $195K gap in Wyoming's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,300 in Wyoming.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $1,500 in Wyoming, so Wyoming is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 221 in Wyoming (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Wyoming is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 105% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 1,812 in Wyoming, again favoring Wyoming.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 76 in Wyoming (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.8-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Wyoming's 33rd, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 12.3% in Wyoming, which favors Colorado. Colorado expanded Medicaid and Wyoming did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Wyoming's 39th, 30 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 Wyoming went to Trump by 43 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Wyoming has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Wyoming is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Colorado and banned with narrow exceptions in Wyoming, and marijuana is legal for adults in Colorado and illegal in Wyoming as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $7.25 in Wyoming.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and moderate in Wyoming (blizzard, drought, wildfire), so Wyoming is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 30 in Wyoming (under 50 is good), favoring Wyoming.
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
11
Wyoming
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Wyoming better to live in?
Wyoming wins more of the measures that decide a move. Wyoming on taxes ($3,120 a year for a median household against $7,634); Wyoming on everyday costs (index 101 against 110); Wyoming on safety (221 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 39th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Wyoming?
Wyoming is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $350K in Wyoming (2024). On state and local taxes Wyoming saves a median household about $4,500 a year.
Does Colorado or Wyoming have lower taxes?
Wyoming. 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 $3,120 in Wyoming ($0 income tax, $1,925 property tax on the median home and $1,195 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or Wyoming?
Wyoming, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 221 in Wyoming; property crime is 2,859 against 1,812.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Wyoming?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Wyoming 39th.
Is Colorado or Wyoming better for retirees?
Wyoming is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Wyoming 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 $1,925 in Wyoming.