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$100,000 in Colorado is matched by $96,500 in Utah. Here's every line that moves, in dollars.
That's $3,500 less than what you earn now, after 2026 federal tax, state tax at both ends, and price levels of 103.1 in Colorado against 98.9 in Utah, where 100 is the national average.
Take one income, put it in both states, and let the difference talk. The federal price index puts Utah 4.2 points below Colorado, or 4.1% on what a household actually buys.
So $100,000 in Colorado is matched by $96,500 in Utah. You can take $3,500 less and be no worse off.
Five income levels, each one run through the whole calculation twice. Single filer, standard deduction, 2026 brackets, and each state's own price level applied to what survives.
| Colorado salary | Take-home there | Real value | Utah salary to match | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $48,458 | $47,001 | $58,400 | −$1,600 |
| $80,000 | $62,298 | $60,425 | $77,300 | −$2,700 |
| $100,000 | $75,488 | $73,219 | $96,500 | −$3,500 |
| $150,000 | $107,899 | $104,655 | $144,300 | −$5,700 |
| $200,000 | $140,835 | $136,601 | $193,000 | −$7,000 |
Real value is take-home pay divided by the state price level, which is BEA's own method for comparing incomes across places. It answers what a salary would buy in an average American state, so two very different places can be set side by side on the same terms.
| Salary | Colorado | Utah | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $1,9323.2% | $2,6704.5% | +$738 |
| $80,000 | $2,8123.5% | $3,5604.5% | +$748 |
| $100,000 | $3,6923.7% | $4,4504.5% | +$758 |
| $150,000 | $5,8923.9% | $6,6754.5% | +$783 |
| $200,000 | $8,0924.0% | $8,9004.5% | +$808 |
Colorado takes $3,692 of a $100,000 salary, an effective 3.7%. Utah takes $4,450, or 4.5%. That's $800 a year more.
And it stays roughly that size across the whole range, $738 at $60,000 against $808 at $200,000. It's a recurring line rather than one that scales with a promotion.
Price parity is BEA's measure of what the same basket of goods costs in different places, with 100 as the national average. Colorado scores 103.1. Utah scores 98.9.
Applied to a real paycheck, that gap is worth $2,300 a year at $100,000. Same gross salary, same federal tax, and $2,300 more of it survives contact with local prices.
One caveat that applies in both directions. A state figure is an average across every city, town and rural county in it, and the spread inside a big state is wider than the spread between most pairs of states. If you already know which metro you're moving to, the city-level pages are the more precise answer.
Hold the salary at $100,000 and move states. Federal tax and FICA don't change, so exactly two things do: what the state takes, and what things cost.
| Line | Colorado | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$13,170 | −$13,170 |
| Social Security and Medicare | −$7,650 | −$7,650 |
| State income tax | −$3,692 | −$4,450 |
| Take-home pay | $75,488 | $74,730 |
| Adjusted for state prices (103.1 against 98.9) | $73,219 | $75,561 |
Net of everything, the same $100,000 is worth $2,300 more a year in Utah. Of that, $800 is the state tax line and $3,100 is the price level. Those two are the entire difference, because everything else about a US paycheck is federal.
A state figure averages over every city and county in it, and the spread inside Utah is wider than the gap between most pairs of states. If you already know where you're landing, these are the city-level numbers on a $100,000 salary.
Your salary, your two cities, the same federal price data. Takes about fifteen seconds.
Compare my citiesThe same $100,000 salary is worth about $2,300 more a year in Utah once tax and prices are both counted. Real, and smaller than the version people repeat.
The break-even salary is $96,500. That's the number to hold in your head during a relocation conversation, because anything above it is a gain and anything below it isn't.
One thing this page can't tell you: it assumes you buy roughly what an average household buys, and housing dominates that basket. If you own outright, carry a fixed mortgage, or split rent several ways, the price adjustment overstates your case in both directions. Colorado and Utah are averages, and averages hide neighbourhoods.
Send the whole thing to your inbox so you can come back to it, or forward it to whoever you're deciding this with. We'll also tell you in January when the 2027 tax brackets and federal price data land and every number here changes.
The breakdown, then about one email a year. No sales pitch, unsubscribe any time.About $96,500. That holds the same purchasing power once 2026 federal tax, Colorado and Utah state tax, mandatory state payroll taxes, and each state's price level have all been applied. At $60,000 the match is $58,400, and at $200,000 it's $193,000.
You don't save, you pay more. On a $100,000 salary Colorado takes $3,692 and Utah takes $4,450, which is about $758 a year more.
Yes. On the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parity index Utah scores 98.9 against Colorado at 103.1, so the same basket costs 4.1% less. These are statewide averages, and the spread inside a large state is wider than the gap between most pairs of states, so a specific metro can run against the state figure.
No. Everything on this page is a recurring annual figure: tax, price levels and purchasing power on an ongoing salary. A move also carries one-off costs, and this page states none of them because we hold no data on them and won't invent it.
Price levels are Regional Price Parities from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024 vintage, which is the federal government's official measure of geographic price differences. Tax figures are 2026 federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 plus each state's 2026 schedule. States whose 2026 figures could not be confirmed against a primary source do not get a page at all.