Cost of Living in Arvada, CO

An Overview of Cost of Living in Arvada, CO

Are you thinking about relocating, but curious about the potential cost of living in Arvada? Is it more expensive or more affordable than average? Based on the most recent report, the cost of living in Arvada stands at 132, making it 32% higher than the national average. The cost of living directly affects the affordability of one's desired lifestyle. Knowing the cost of housing, transportation, groceries and other essentials in the new area allows people to gauge whether they can maintain their preferred standard of living.

If affordability is among your top priorities when searching for a new place to live, this area may not be the ideal fit, as the cost of living in Arvada is among the most expensive in the United States. Just a minority of areas exhibit a cost of living at least 20% higher than the national average, and unfortunately, Arvada falls into this category, which may not align with your goal of finding a budget-friendly living environment.

Housing costs make up a big chunk of the cost of living in Arvada, and they usually eat into a large part of your take-home pay. Unfortunately, in this area, both buying a home and renting one costs 106.4% more than the average city. This includes stuff like home prices, rent, mortgage rates, and insurance.

What Do Locals Say About the Cost of Living in Arvada?

The most insightful perspective on a city comes from its residents. We recently surveyed 6 locals to gauge their perception of the cost of living in Arvada. The feedback revealed that 33% of respondents found the cost of living to be reasonable, with prices on the decline, while 67% regarded it as notably expensive with prices that continue to rise.

Is Arvada Affordable?

Is Arvada an affordable place to live? That's a valid question to ask when you're thinking about moving to a new city. After all, how much it costs to live somewhere can be a huge factor in your decision. Affordability can be broken down into 3 common categories. The cost of living index (we talked about it earlier), housing expenses and income levels all play a big role in figuring out if a place is affordable. For instance, in Arvada, the median home price is 129.6% higher than what most folks pay across the country, and monthly rent prices are 52.2% higher than the usual rates. Income levels in Arvada come in at $92,669, which is 67.5% higher than the national average.

What Factors can Influence the Cost of Living in Arvada?

Housing: High demand for housing in desirable locations can drive up property prices and rental rates. This can be a primary contributor to a higher cost of living. While low demand for housing, especially in undesirable locations, can have the reverse effect and drive prices down, resulting in a lower cost of living. The housing index in Arvada, is 106.4% higher than the national average.

Transportation: In cities with limited or no public transportation, residents may find it necessary to own and maintain vehicles, thereby elevating the cost of living. Monthly expenditures include fuel, insurance, routine maintenance and potential lease or financing commitments. In Arvada, the transportation index stands at 8.5% higher than the national average.

Utilities: As with the prices of anything else, utility costs can exhibit significant variations, contingent on factors like climate, energy source availability, geographic location and state regulations. The expenses associated with electricity, water, heating, and waste disposal can fluctuate, either upward or downward, depending on the particular city or state. In Arvada, the utilities index registers 11.8% lower than the national average.

Where is the Data From?

The Arvada cost of living data displayed above is derived from the C2ER cost of living index to provide a useful and reasonably accurate measure of living cost differences in urban areas. The index takes into account data from 300 independent researches, covering more than 60 goods and services across 6 different categories, to create an overall index for each area, with 100 being the average. The C2ER index does not include sales or income tax rates in their data, however AreaVibes does include both income and sales tax rates in the overall cost of living score for each area.