clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Which Colorado Ski Town Has the Cheapest Rent?

New, 2 comments

Every snow lover has dreamed of packing up and moving to a ski town, but which ski town is the most affordable? We've compared monthly rental rates in 10 Colorado powder oases to discover which is the priciest and which one could best accommodate your ski bum budget. And while everyone knows that Aspen is far from cheap, the results might surprise you.

The figures below are each town's median gross rent per month in 2012, courtesy of data from City-Data. The median gross rent divides the gross rent distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median gross rent and one-half above the median. Although far from perfect, a city's median gross rent per month is one way to assess a town's affordability. Generally, people believe it more accurately depicts rental rates in the middle distribution of rents than does the average gross rent.

For comparison's sake, in 2012 the median monthly gross residential rent in the United States was $884. In New York City in 2012, the median monthly gross residential rent was $1,079.

10. Telluride: $1567

9. Snowmass: $1291

8. Aspen: $1261

7. Steamboat Springs: $1255

6. Avon: $1246

5. Vail: $1142

4. Dillon: $1089

3. Breckenridge: $1080

2. Crested Butte: $978

1. Winter Park: $732

So that's it Curbediverse! If you want cheap ski town rent, head to Winter Park or Crested Butte. Both towns have median gross rent prices well below the rest of Colorado ski country, and Winter Park even has a median price that's less than the national average. Telluridites, on the other hand, have to pay a pretty penny to enjoy all those beautiful views, making it the most expensive ski town in Colorado to pay rent. Even more shocking, it's more expensive to pay rent in almost all of Colorado's ski towns than it is to pay rent in New York City. A mountain paradise doesn't come cheap!

· City-Data [Official Site]
· US Residential Rent and Rental Statistics [Dept of Numbers]
· Tiny House on Wheels In Southwest Colorado Wants $27,350 [Curbed Ski]
· The Ski Bum's Guide To Renting in the High Country [Curbed Ski]