2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Fort Collins, CO vs Santa Cruz, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Santa Cruz or is it cheaper to live in Fort Collins?
- Santa Cruz is 60.8% more expensive than Fort Collins.

Which city has more affordable housing, Santa Cruz or Fort Collins?
- Santa Cruz housing costs are 151.6% more expensive than Fort Collins housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Fort Collins or is Health Care more affordable in Santa Cruz.
- Health related expenses are 24.8% more in Santa Cruz.
 Fort Collins, COSanta Cruz, CAUnited States
 Overall  Unlock186.0100
 Food & Groceries101.1  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock109.2100
 Housing167.2  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,270,800$338,100
 Utilities91  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock110.5100
 Miscellaneous152.5  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Fort Collins    71 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

Moved my family here a few months ago and have been so disappointed. Housing is dismal - you get low quality and almost nothing for what you’re paying. The house we’re  More

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Over 4 years ago

There is a high cost of living in all of Colorado, and there is a train that runs through the town a honks its horn for about 5 min straight which is very annoying  More

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My family established our home in Larimer County in 1973; this area, Fort Collins, was a quaint, western-ish town we loved to visit. So I’ve visited FoCo multiple times  More

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Reviews for Santa Cruz    44 Reviews

I lived in the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. UCSC alum. Our kids were born there. There are wonderful things about Santa Cruz, but also many serious problems that we  More

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Over 5 years ago

I have been here for four generations! My kids are the fifth. I guess that should tell you how wonderful it is here, at least for us. It's so cool to have world class  More

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I was born over the hill in San Jose area, and as a kid I loved coming over to the boardwalk. Santa Cruz has always been and always will be a town of diversity,  More

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