Fargo vs Fort Collins leftover
Moving to Fort Collins costs you $803 a month
$2,387/mo leftover in Fort Collins vs $3,190 in Fargo after tax and rent ($803 less). −$9,636 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Fargo leftover
$3,190
a month after tax and rent
Fort Collins leftover
$2,387
−$803 vs Fargo
Compare Fargo to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Fargo.
Monthly gap
Fargo → Fort Collins
$803
less / month in Fargo
$2,387 in Fort Collins · $3,190 in Fargo · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$803 / mo
| Per month | Fargo | Fort Collins | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,375 | $7,546 | +$171 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,529 | $1,817 | +$288 |
| Take-home pay | $5,846 | $5,729 | −$117 |
| Rent | $885 | $1,473 | +$588 |
| Getting around | $505 | $459 | −$46 |
| Groceries | $349 | $389 | +$40 |
| Healthcare | $393 | $438 | +$45 |
| Utilities | $218 | $243 | +$25 |
| Everything else | $306 | $341 | +$35 |
| Left over | $3,190 | $2,387 | −$803 |
To break even in Fort Collins, you'd need to earn
$105,000
Household gross, versus $88,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Fargo does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,846
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.7% in Fargo, 24.1% in Fort Collins.
More about Fort Collins
Fargo, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,054 and 193 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
Fort Collins, CO in full
A flat 4.4% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,753 and 253 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Fort Collins on Fort Collins wages.
Fort Collins → Fargo →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Fort Collins than Fargo?
A one-bedroom is about $885 in Fargo versus $1,473 in Fort Collins. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $803 a month lower in Fort Collins. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Fort Collins have state income tax?
Fort Collins is in Colorado, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Fargo to Fort Collins?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Colorado tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Fargo and Fort Collins moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.