Fort Collins vs Bismarck leftover
You'd keep $945 more a month in Bismarck
$3,329/mo leftover in Bismarck vs $2,384 in Fort Collins after tax and rent ($945 more). +$11,340 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Fort Collins leftover
$2,384
a month after tax and rent
Bismarck leftover
$3,329
+$945 vs Fort Collins
Compare Fort Collins to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Fort Collins.
Monthly gap
Fort Collins → Bismarck
$945
more / month in Bismarck
$3,329 in Bismarck · $2,384 in Fort Collins · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
+$945 / mo
| Per month | Fort Collins | Bismarck | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,542 | $7,908 | +$366 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,816 | $1,697 | −$118 |
| Take-home pay | $5,726 | $6,210 | +$484 |
| Rent | $1,473 | $1,084 | −$389 |
| Getting around | $459 | $534 | +$75 |
| Groceries | $389 | $348 | −$41 |
| Healthcare | $438 | $392 | −$46 |
| Utilities | $243 | $218 | −$25 |
| Everything else | $341 | $305 | −$36 |
| Left over | $2,384 | $3,329 | +$945 |
To break even in Bismarck, you'd need to earn
$78,500
Household gross, versus $90,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Fort Collins does now.
The tax difference alone
+$2,719
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.1% in Fort Collins, 21.5% in Bismarck.
More about Bismarck
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.
Bismarck, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,290 and 196 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Bismarck on Bismarck wages.
Bismarck → Fort Collins →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Bismarck than Fort Collins?
A one-bedroom is about $1,473 in Fort Collins versus $1,084 in Bismarck. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $945 a month higher in Bismarck. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Bismarck have state income tax?
Bismarck is in North Dakota, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Fort Collins to Bismarck?
Take-home pay is recalculated under North Dakota 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 Fort Collins and Bismarck 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.