State comparison
Texas vs Colorado: 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.
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 8 categories
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Texas vs Colorado
Texas has no state income tax. 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 wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.60% of home value a year in Texas and 0.48% in Colorado (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,440 against $2,616, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.19% in Texas and 7.76% in Colorado; Colorado is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,272 a year in Texas, $7,634 in Colorado. Texas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Texas's cost of living index is 97 and Colorado's is 110, where 100 is the national average; Texas is about 13% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $340K in Texas and $545K in Colorado (Zillow, 2024), a $205K gap in Texas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Texas and $1,850 in Colorado.
Home insurance averages $3,200 a year in Texas and $2,800 in Colorado, so Colorado is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 447 incidents per 100,000 residents in Texas and 453 in Colorado (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Texas is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 1% lower. Property crime is 2,478 per 100,000 in Texas against 2,859 in Colorado, again favoring Texas.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Texas and 78.8 in Colorado (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.5-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Texas's health system 36th of 50 and Colorado's 9th, so Colorado scores better on care.
18.4% of Texas residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Colorado, which favors Colorado. Colorado expanded Medicaid and Texas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Texas's K-12 schools 36th in the country and Colorado's 9th, 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 Texas went to Trump by 14 points and Colorado went to Harris by 11 points.
Texas has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Texas is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Texas and protected by state law in Colorado, and marijuana is medical only in Texas and legal for adults in Colorado as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Texas and $14.42 in Colorado.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood) and high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado), so Colorado is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 43 in Texas and 50 in Colorado (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
Texas
8
Colorado
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Texas or Colorado 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, Texas or Colorado?
Texas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 110. The median home is $340K in Texas and $545K in Colorado (2024). On state and local taxes Texas saves a median household about $360 a year.
Does Texas or Colorado have lower taxes?
Texas. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,272 a year in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 in sales tax) and $7,634 in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Texas or Colorado?
Texas, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 447 per 100,000 residents in Texas and 453 in Colorado; property crime is 2,478 against 2,859.
Which has better schools, Texas or Colorado?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Texas 36th of 50 for K-12 and Colorado 9th. Texas also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Texas or Colorado better for retirees?
Texas is friendlier to retirees on paper. Texas does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $5,440 a year in Texas and $2,616 in Colorado.