How much does it cost to move from California to Colorado?

National planning ranges for a long-distance move run $4,200-$6,720 for a 3-bedroom home, scaling down to $1,250-$2,000 for a studio. These are the same national benchmarks used across every route on this site, not a California-Colorado-specific figure — use the [moving cost calculator](/moving-cost-calculator) for a number based on your actual move.

Do I need a new driver's license after moving from California to Colorado?

New Colorado residents must get a Colorado driver's license within 30 days of establishing residency.

What's the income tax difference between California and Colorado?

California: Highest top marginal rate in the country: 13.3% combined (12.3% top bracket + 1% Mental Health Services Tax on income over $1M).. Colorado: flat 4.4% individual income tax rate. Tax Foundation — Colorado.

Moving from California to Colorado: Costs, Distance & What to Know

Last reviewed 2026-09-07 · Next review due 2026-10-05

A typical 3-bedroom move from California to Colorado runs about $4,200-$6,720 nationally (use the calculator for a number based on your actual move). California and Colorado are recorded as migration partners in Census Bureau data, though this specific direction's exact count isn't separately broken out in the source research.

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Moving from California to Colorado? Compare quotes from licensed interstate movers.

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Who is making this move

Directional flow counts and rankings here are drawn directly from each state's own already-published, Census-sourced migration snapshot — see the California and Colorado moving cost hubs for the full picture of who moves in and out of each state, not just this one corridor.

California → Colorado: —(ranked, not counted)
Colorado → California: —(not available)

Data year: 2023 ACS 1-year (net); 2024 ACS 1-year, secondary-sourced (state breakdown)

This specific direction (California → Colorado) was recorded by rank only, without an exact published count, in at least one of the two states' source research.

Side by side

	California	Colorado
Population	39,529,000	6,012,561
Major metro	Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood MSA
Income tax	Highest top marginal rate in the country: 13.3% combined (12.3% top bracket + 1% Mental Health Services Tax on income over $1M).	flat 4.4% individual income tax rate. Tax Foundation — Colorado

See the full California moving cost hub and Colorado moving cost hub for each state’s complete migration, cost and relocation picture.

Typical moving costs

These are national moving-industry planning ranges scaled by home size, not California-to-Colorado-specific pricing — the same benchmarks used across every state hub and route page on this site. Once enough priced California↔Colorado city-pair corridors are live, this table can be replaced with a real corridor-specific range.

National planning ranges by home size for local and long-distance moves
Home size	Local	Long-distance
Studio	$600-$1,050	$1,250-$2,000
1 Bedroom	$800-$1,400	$2,000-$3,200
2 Bedroom	$1,100-$1,925	$3,000-$4,800
3 Bedroom	$1,400-$2,450	$4,200-$6,720
4 Bedroom	$1,800-$3,150	$5,500-$8,800
5+ Bedroom	$2,200-$3,850	$7,000-$11,200

For a number tailored to your actual move, use the moving cost calculator.

New-resident deadlines

State	Topic	Requirement
California	Driver's license	New CA residents must obtain a California driver's license within 10 days of establishing residency.
California	Vehicle registration	Out-of-state vehicles must be registered within 20 days of becoming a resident.
Colorado	Driver's license	New Colorado residents must get a Colorado driver's license within 30 days of establishing residency.
Colorado	Vehicle registration	Vehicles must be registered with Colorado DMV within 90 days of establishing residency — a notably longer window than the driver's license deadline.

Live city-to-city routes

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to move from California to Colorado?: National planning ranges for a long-distance move run $4,200-$6,720 for a 3-bedroom home, scaling down to $1,250-$2,000 for a studio. These are the same national benchmarks used across every route on this site, not a California-Colorado-specific figure — use the moving cost calculator for a number based on your actual move.
Do I need a new driver's license after moving from California to Colorado?: New Colorado residents must get a Colorado driver's license within 30 days of establishing residency.
What's the income tax difference between California and Colorado?: California: Highest top marginal rate in the country: 13.3% combined (12.3% top bracket + 1% Mental Health Services Tax on income over $1M).. Colorado: flat 4.4% individual income tax rate. Tax Foundation — Colorado.