Colorado vs Utah

Head-to-head homesteading comparison across taxes, land, climate, laws, safety & more

Colorado

Rank #25

Overall Score

65.1

Category Wins

2/10

Utah

Rank #19

Overall Winner

Overall Score

66.6

Category Wins

5/10

Quick Comparison

Winner highlighted per category

0.51%

Property Tax

0.6%

108

Cost of Living

104

$2,850

Farm Land $/Acre

$2,800

180 days

Growing Season

180 days

60"

Annual Rainfall

24"

6/10

Soil Quality

6/10

8/10

Safety (Rural)

8/10

7/10

Gun Friendly

9/10

5.3 hrs

Solar (PSH)

5.5 hrs

87%

Broadband

88%

Utah Edges Out Colorado Overall

With an overall homesteading score of 66.6 vs 65.1, Utah comes out ahead in our balanced analysis — winning 5 out of 10 key categories. But the best state for you depends on what matters most.

Key differences: Utah offers cheaper farmland at $2,800/acre vs $2,850/acre. Colorado has lower property taxes (0.51% vs 0.6%). Utah is more affordable with a cost of living index of 104 vs 108.

Scroll down to the full comparison table for a deep dive into every metric, or use our ranking tool to weight these factors by what matters most to you.

Full Data Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of selected states across homesteading metrics
Data Point	Colorado CO	Utah UT
Taxes & Cost
	Yes	Yes
	4.63%	4.65%
	7.65%	7.25%
	0.51%	0.6%
	108	104
Land & Building
	$2,850	$2,800
	No (Local Adoption)	Yes (Statewide)
	Varies	Permitted with local zoning approval; increasingly allowed
Climate & Growing
	4a-7b	4a-9a
	180	180
	60"	24"
	6	6
	8	8
	4	2
Water & Energy
	Allowed with Limits	Permitted
	5.3	5.5
	Yes	Yes
Laws & Freedom
	Low	Minimal
	7	9
	Strong	Strong
	Yes (Farm Sales Only)	Permitted for raw milk operations with licensing
	Yes	Yes
Safety & Healthcare
	407	267
	48%	38%
Demographics & Community
	48.51	38
	15%	11%
	87%	88%
Business
	#32	#16
	$50/yr	$50/yr
	2.9%	2.9%

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