Planning to move to Fort Collins? There’s one important thing to consider before doing that and that is the cost of living in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Fort Collins was recently listed as the number one place to live in the United States. But what does it cost to live here? That’s what we’ll talk about today.
Housing Expense
One of the biggest expenses in Fort Collins, Colorado is definitely the housing expense. Depending on whether you decide to buy a house or rent, it will take around 30-40 percent of your income. So what does that mean?
If you decide to buy, you should know that the Median Sales Price is $460.000. So let’s say you put between 5 and 20 percent down. You’ll probably have a 3 percent interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage which equates to about $1,550 – $1,850 per month for Principle and Interest.
I’d suggest you talk to your lender about the interest rate because it might vary. Feel free to contact Soukup Real Estate Services if you decide to invest, buy or sell in Fort Collins.
The mortgage contains Property Taxes and Insurance which is on average $3,000 per year for a house that’s worth $460,000. Insurance will be between $1,500 to $2,000 per year. That will add $350 – $400 per month to your mortgage.
This brings us to the Average Total Mortgage Expense of $1,900 – $2,300 per month.
What if you can’t buy and you need to rent? Then you should know that the Median Rental Rate is $1,800 per month, depending on the house size and age.
Utilities
Here are the utility costs for Fort Collins, Colorado.
Electricity: $80 – $130 per month
Gas: during the summer $20 – $30 per month
During the winter $100 – $125 depending on the usage
Water: $60 – $90 per month
Internet costs depend on the provider. We should be switching to the city’s broadband soon so the costs will be around $60 per month for 1GB or $300 per month for 30GB. For example, currently, I’m paying $95 for my internet.
Driving costs of living in Fort Collins
Average gas prices: $2.15 – $2.30 per gallon
The public bus system is not great so you will be driving to work in most cases. The good news is we’re a biking-friendly community so you could save some gas on that.
Restaurants
Lunch in the downtown area will cost you around $20 – $35 for 2 people, while dinner could be from $40 to $175, depending on the type of restaurant you choose.
Taxes for Colorado
The flat state income tax in Colorado is 4.63%, while the sales tax is 7.55%.
There’s an affordability index of about 100 as the average in America. Fort Collins comes in between 109 and 118, while the State of Colorado is about 121. Although we’re above average for affordability, we are lower in the State of Colorado.
Fort Collins is pretty affordable, except for maybe our housing expenses. They are really what’s driving the cost of living in Fort Collins, Colorado.
If Colorado is your dream destination, but you’re concerned about the cost of living, then you should check out Fort Collins. I’d be happy to talk to you so send me a message or subscribe to my YouTube channel below to learn more about Fort Collins, Colorado.
