Moving to Colorado Springs means planning around three things: a single-family median sale price of $487,400 as of July 2026, school district boundaries that change street by street, and a property tax system that depends on the specific parcel. State income tax is a flat 4.4%.
What does It Cost to Buy a Home in Colorado Springs Right Now?
The median sale price for a single-family home in the city was $487,400 in July 2026, and homes that sold took an average of 42 days on market (Elevate MLS, Colorado Springs single-family).
Supply tells the rest. July brought 1,055 new listings against 715 closed sales, and active inventory ended the month at 2,870 homes, up 5.9% from 2,709 in July 2025. The same market carried 1,090 active listings in July 2021.
That's single-family only. The Colorado Association of REALTORS® July 2026 report shows condos and townhomes under more pressure, with new listings down 9.7% and pending sales down 9.5% amid rising HOA costs and tighter financing rules.
Citywide medians hide a lot. Across the Elevate MLS sub-areas reviewed, July medians ran from the mid-$400,000s to about $900,000, and sub-areas don't map neatly onto neighborhood names.
How do Colorado Springs Neighborhoods Break Down?
Pick your commute first, then your price range, then the house. The city is spread out, and a 15 minute difference on the map can be 35 minutes at 7 a.m.
Districts are a starting point, not a guarantee. Several of these areas straddle more than one, so verify the assigned school for the specific address.
I left pricing out on purpose. Sub-area medians move month to month, so printed price ranges can become outdated quickly. Tell me which areas you're weighing and I'll pull current numbers.
Housing stock tracks with the map. North and east is mostly post-2000 construction with HOAs, sometimes a metro district. Central runs 1900s to 1950s bungalows, alleys, and mature trees. Fountain and Widefield have older ranch homes on larger lots.
Want a Broader Feel for Colorado Springs?
If you're still getting familiar with the area, take a look through our Colorado Springs City Guide. It gives relocating buyers a broader introduction to the city and can help you get oriented before narrowing your search to specific neighborhoods.
Explore the Colorado Springs City Guide
Which School District will My Address be In?
El Paso County is served by 17 school districts, listed by the Colorado Department of Education. Boundaries don't follow neighborhood names or ZIP codes, and two houses across the street from each other can feed different schools.
The main districts inside the city: Academy 20 (north), Colorado Springs 11 (central), Falcon 49 (east), Harrison 2 (southeast), Cheyenne Mountain 12 (southwest), Widefield 3 and Fountain-Fort Carson 8 (south).
Colorado has open enrollment, so students can apply outside their assigned attendance area, subject to space. Seats aren't guaranteed, so check with the district.
Verify any address before you write an offer. Each district publishes a boundary lookup tool. I don't make school quality claims. That part is yours to research.
What will I Actually Pay in Taxes in Colorado Springs?
Two of the three numbers are simple:
- State income tax: flat 4.4% for tax year 2026, no brackets, no local income tax
- Sales tax: 8.20% combined, per the City of Colorado Springs. That's 3.07% city, 2.9% state, 1.23% El Paso County, 1% PPRTA.
Property tax is the one people get wrong, because Colorado changed how it works. Under the currently published rates for the 2026 property tax year, which remain subject to adjustment, two separate calculations run on the same house:
- School district levies apply 7.05% to the home's full actual value, with no reduction.
- Local government levies (county, city, fire, special districts) apply 6.8% after reducing actual value by 10%, capped at a $70,000 reduction.
On a $500,000 home, that's $35,250 assessed for school levies and $30,600 for local levies. Your bill is each of those multiplied by the mill levies where your parcel sits, which is why nobody can quote a bill from the purchase price alone.
Metro districts are the other variable. Many newer subdivisions carry an extra levy to repay developer-built roads and parks, so two homes at the same price can come with different bills. Pull the record before you write an offer. The El Paso County Assessor's property search shows every levy on a parcel.
What should Military Families Know Before a PCS Here?
Five installations sit in this region: Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, Schriever SFB, the Air Force Academy, and Cheyenne Mountain SFS. Where you report should drive the search, since cross-town commutes run 35 to 50 minutes at rush hour.
On taxes, Colorado doesn't tax the wages a nonresident military spouse earns here if they're in the state solely to accompany a service member under orders. Retired pay gets a subtraction too: under 55, capped at $15,000 in recent tax years; at 55 and older, the age-based pension and annuity subtraction applies instead. Both rules come from the Colorado Department of Revenue.
VA financing works well here. No down payment for eligible buyers with full entitlement, and no monthly mortgage insurance. The VA home loan program page covers eligibility and entitlement, and I'm happy to walk through how it plays out on a specific offer.
Qualifying veterans with a 100% permanent service-connected disability, certain surviving spouses, and qualifying Gold Star spouses may be eligible for a property tax exemption on 50% of the first $200,000 of actual value. The rules are specific, and applications go through the county assessor.
What do Newcomers Usually Get Wrong?
Altitude. The City of Colorado Springs puts the city's elevation at 6,035 feet above sea level. New arrivals often notice it while acclimating, especially during exercise and outdoor activity.
Hail. Hail season runs roughly April through September, and claims are common along the Front Range. Get an insurance quote before you go under contract, not after.
Radon. El Paso County Public Health reports that over 40% of all homes tested in the county between 2005 and 2023 had high levels of radon, and that levels vary greatly from house to house. Statewide, CDPHE puts about half of Colorado homes above the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L. It's fixable, and the county puts a typical mitigation system at roughly $1,000 to $2,000 absent difficult design problems. Test during inspection.
Snow. Storms are frequent but often melt within a day or two. Steep driveways on the west side and in Black Forest are worth a look in January.
Is Colorado Springs a buyer's or seller's market right now? Balanced. Homes sold in an average of 42 days in July with more inventory available than buyers have had in years, and the July median was higher than January's, $487,400 against $450,000.
How are property taxes calculated here? Under the currently published 2026 rates, which are subject to adjustment, school levies use 7.05% of full actual value and local government levies use 6.8% after a 10% reduction capped at $70,000. Multiply each by the mill levies on your parcel, or just pull the record from the assessor.
Does Colorado tax military retirement pay? Partially. Retirees under 55 may claim a subtraction capped at $15,000 in recent tax years. At 55 and older, the age-based pension and annuity subtraction applies instead. Confirm current limits with the Colorado Department of Revenue.
Can I pick my school district when I buy? You can choose an address inside a district you want, but boundaries don't follow neighborhood names. Verify the assigned school before you write an offer, and ask about open enrollment if you want a school outside your area.
Bottom Line
Plan in this order: commute, price range, then the specific parcel. Verify the school boundary and pull the tax record on the actual address, not the ZIP code average. Those two checks can help prevent surprises after closing. Closings typically run 30 to 45 days on a financed purchase, so build that into your timeline.
I served 12 years in the Army, and much of my business is helping military families and out-of-state buyers land here. If you're working through a move, I'm happy to answer questions. No pressure, just answers.
- Call or text: (719) 413-6610
- Email: [email protected]
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