Best Places to Buy Rental Property in Colorado (2026)

Colorado closed 36,746 homes in the last six months at a statewide median of $545,000, which means the entry price conversation here starts higher than in most of the country. Exactly one Colorado market with real volume clears under $300,000. This ranking lists the fifteen most affordable Colorado markets in our data that recorded at least 100 closings in six months, cheapest first.

What this ranking is, and what it is not

The list ranks on two measured things: entry price (median closed sale price over the last six months) and transaction volume (recorded closings in the same window). It does not rank on rent, rent-to-price ratio, cap rate, or cash-on-cash return. This dataset contains no rent data, and inventing one would be worse than useless in a state where the cheapest qualifying market still costs $268,500. Rent and cash flow have to be verified property by property, and the closing section explains how. Why volume sits alongside price: closings are liquidity. A market recording 3,854 sales in six months will absorb your exit whenever you want it. A market recording 112 will absorb it when a buyer shows up. Both can work, but they are different risk profiles, and in Colorado the cheapest markets and the most liquid markets are not the same places.

The fifteen most affordable Colorado markets

1. Pueblo, $268,500 median, 675 closings

The cheapest entry in Colorado by a wide margin, roughly 50.7% below the state median, and it is not a thin market: 675 closings in six months, more than 110 a month. That price-to-volume combination is unique in this state. At a $268,500 basis a 20% to 25% down payment runs about $54,000 to $67,000, versus roughly $109,000 to $136,000 at the state median. Pueblo is the only Colorado market where an investor can enter at a genuinely different price tier without also accepting thin liquidity.

2. Cortez, $327,500 median, 112 closings

Far southwest corner of the state, 112 closings, the lowest volume on this list. Entry is $217,500 below the state median, but with fewer than 20 sales a month your exit window is narrow and seasonal. This is a market to buy in with a long hold horizon.

3. Canon City, $350,000 median, 208 closings

South of Colorado Springs, $350,000 with 208 closings. Reasonable volume for a small market and a basis $195,000 under the state median. Its economy is distinct from the Springs, so research it on its own terms rather than treating it as a Colorado Springs suburb.

4. Delta, $384,000 median, 124 closings

Western Slope, $384,000 across 124 closings. Modest transaction count. Delta and nearby Montrose form a small regional pair, which is worth knowing if you plan to buy more than one property in the area.

5. Evans, $394,000 median, 118 closings

Weld County, immediately adjacent to Greeley, at $394,000 with 118 closings. A $31,000 discount to Greeley pricing with about a fifth of Greeley's volume. That is the classic small-suburb tradeoff: slightly cheaper entry, materially thinner exit.

6. Pueblo West, $398,700 median, 273 closings

The Pueblo metro's suburban half, $130,200 above Pueblo proper at $398,700, with 273 closings. Newer housing stock generally, which changes the maintenance profile. Between Pueblo and Pueblo West, the region offers two clearly different price tiers inside one labor market.

7. Fountain, $410,000 median, 200 closings

South of Colorado Springs and closely tied to the same employment base, $410,000 with 200 closings. Roughly $40,000 below the Colorado Springs median. Demand here is influenced by nearby military installations, which is a concentrated but historically stable driver worth researching directly.

8. Grand Junction, $417,600 median, 782 closings

The largest Western Slope market and one of Colorado's twelve busiest overall: 782 closings at $417,600. It is the only sub-$420,000 market on this list with that kind of volume outside the Pueblo and Front Range corridors. Grand Junction is a self-contained regional economy, so its cycle does not have to track Denver's.

9. Greeley, $425,000 median, 556 closings

Northern Front Range, 556 closings at $425,000, $120,000 below the state median. Strong volume for its size, a university presence, and an energy-linked economy. That last point matters: local employment is more cyclical than the Denver metro's, and that should show up in your vacancy assumption.

10. Colorado Springs, $449,900 median, 3,854 closings

The single most liquid market on this list and the second busiest in the state, 3,854 closings at $449,900. That is $95,100 below the state median and $129,100 below Denver. For an investor who values a deep comp set, easy exit and a large tenant base over the lowest possible basis, this is the strongest entry here on liquidity grounds alone.

11. Northglenn, $450,000 median, 187 closings

North Denver metro, $450,000 with 187 closings. One of the few Denver-adjacent submarkets on this list, so you get metro demand at a below-Denver basis, but the transaction count is small enough that comps within the city are limited.

12. Montrose, $454,000 median, 347 closings

Western Slope, 347 closings at $454,000. Better volume than most small mountain-region markets. Its economy leans on tourism and healthcare, a different mix from the Front Range.

13. Aurora, $460,000 median, 2,197 closings

The third busiest market in Colorado, 2,197 closings, at $460,000, which is $119,000 below Denver proper while sitting inside the same metro. For investors who want Denver-area tenant demand without Denver pricing, Aurora is the highest-volume way to get it.

14. Fruita, $467,298 median, 119 closings

Just outside Grand Junction, $467,298 with 119 closings. A $49,698 premium to Grand Junction with roughly one seventh the volume. Buy for the specific property, not for the market depth.

15. Commerce City, $480,000 median, 498 closings

North Denver metro, 498 closings at $480,000. Solid volume, $65,000 below the state median, and inside the Denver labor market. A lot of newer construction, which affects both your capital expenditure outlook and which comps are appropriate.

What entry price and volume can and cannot tell you

Price and volume tell you how much capital you need and how hard it will be to sell. They do not tell you whether a deal works. In Colorado specifically, two factors that are not in this dataset can dominate the outcome: insurance costs in wildfire-exposed areas, and the fact that at a $450,000 to $500,000 basis, debt service is a large fixed obligation that a small rent misestimate cannot absorb. Three things to do before committing. Value the property, not the city. Resideline freezes its estimate at listing and grades it later against the real closing price, with the record published on a public accuracy dashboard. The comps behind each estimate are visible and adjustable, so a comp from a different Front Range price tier can be removed. Condition is estimated from listing photos, which separates a dated house from a renovated one at the same median. Live valuations run in 31 states. Verify rent yourself. Pull real leases and current listings for the same bed count and property type in that exact submarket, then run them through the rental property calculator with taxes, insurance, vacancy, management and debt service included. Do not use a national rule of thumb on a $460,000 purchase. Test the whole deal. The deal analyzer takes purchase price, rehab and financing through to a number you can compare across cities. For renovation exits, the ARV calculator sizes after-repair value first. Ground everything in ZIP-level pricing from the market pages. All of the free calculators work without a signup. In Colorado, entry price narrows the field to about fifteen cities. The underwriting decides which house.