Living in Fort Collins, CO
Mid-size city in Colorado
Fort Collins is a mid-size city in Colorado, home to about 170,000 people, with 648,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Fort Collins a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Low taxes: about $1,517 state income tax per resident, 0.5% property tax
- Strong healthcare: 5 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Safe: violent crime is 0.6× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Low natural disaster risk: 5 federally declared disasters since 2000
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Fewer outdoor escapes: few parks and no water close by
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Fort Collins ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Fort Collins: common questions
What is the cost of living in Fort Collins?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $527k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,390 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 101, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Fort Collins?
Colorado collects about $1,517 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.5% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Fort Collins safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.6× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Fort Collins?
Fort Collins has cold winters: winter days average around 45°F and summer days around 85°F, with roughly 49″ of snow a year.
Does Fort Collins get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, cold waves and tornadoes: 5 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.74 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Fort Collins?
The nearest major airport is DEN, about 52 mi away.
How Fort Collins scores
Each bar compares Fort Collins with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Fort Collins right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.