Retiring to Northern Colorado in 2026: Taxes, Healthcare and the 10 Year Rule

For the last 30 or 40 years, you lived where your job was. You picked the town for the commute, the company, maybe the school district. And somewhere along the way you probably said it to yourself: someday I'm going to live somewhere I actually want to live.

If retirement is on the horizon, someday is here.

I live in Longmont with my family, and a big part of what I do is help people move here from out of state. A lot of them are retiring or getting close to it. They ask me about taxes. They ask about healthcare. But that's not what they're really moving for. They're moving for a different life. So this post covers both: what a week here actually looks like, and the money, including a 10 year rule in our property tax code that almost nobody tells retirees about before they move.

If you'd rather watch it, I filmed it at the lake.

Quick answer

Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, but most retirement income is shielded. At 65 and up, all federally taxed Social Security comes off your Colorado return, plus up to $24,000 per person of pension, IRA and 401k income ($20,000 at ages 55 to 64). Colorado's effective property tax rate is about 0.5%, against about 1.4% in Texas (Tax Foundation, 2026). The senior property tax exemption, half of the first $200,000 of your home's value, requires you to be 65 AND to have owned and lived in the same home for 10 years in a row, so new arrivals wait. UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland is Northern Colorado's only Level I trauma center.

What does retirement in Northern Colorado actually look like?

Picture a Tuesday in October. No alarm. You're on the back patio with your coffee, and the sun is already out. You look up, and there's Longs Peak, 14,259 feet, sitting right there like it does every single morning.

You walk the lake. Then you've got options.

• The Longmont Senior Center runs more than 200 activities every quarter: classes, fitness, clubs, day trips, even extended travel (City of Longmont).
• Golf or pickleball, if that's your thing.
• Or nothing at all, and nobody's emailing you about it.

Saturday morning, there's the Longmont Farmers Market at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, 8 AM to 1 PM, April into November. Summer Thursday nights, there are free concerts at the Longmont Museum. Bring a lawn chair and a picnic, and the Front Range is your backdrop.

Here's the part I love for retirees. What people pay thousands of dollars to come do on vacation, most people out here do on a Saturday. You don't have to. You get to go on a Tuesday, when the trails are quiet and everybody else is at work.

I tell my clients this all the time: your Colorado self is going to be a different person. You'll pick up new hobbies, because you have access to them all year. A lot of people retiring here don't want a big city, and they don't want the middle of nowhere either. Places like Longmont and Loveland have everything you need and nothing you don't.

How far are the mountains from Longmont?

Estes Park, the front door to Rocky Mountain National Park, is under an hour from Longmont, and you never touch the interstate to get there.

Once you're 62, a lifetime Senior Pass is $80 (National Park Service). That gets you into Rocky Mountain National Park and every other national park in the country. For life.

Does Colorado tax Social Security and retirement income?

Financial clarity creates confidence, and this part is good news. I'm not a CPA, and how your money is set up really matters here, so sit down with a tax pro before you make any moves. But here's how it works in 2026.

Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax. But a big chunk of retirement income never gets taxed here at all.

• Social Security: once you're 65, Colorado takes all of your federally taxed Social Security off the top. Between 55 and 64, same deal, as long as your income is under about $75,000 single or $95,000 married.
• Pension, IRA and 401k withdrawals: at 65 and up, you can subtract up to $24,000 a year per person. Between 55 and 64, it's up to $20,000.

So, for example, a married couple over 65 living on Social Security and pulling $20,000 each from their IRAs would owe no Colorado income tax on that income.

Source: Colorado Department of Revenue, 2026. A 2025 bill to remove the caps on the pension subtraction did not pass, so the $20,000 and $24,000 limits still stand.

How much are property taxes in Colorado compared to Texas?

Colorado's effective property tax rate is about half a percent. Texas is about 1.4% (Tax Foundation, 2026).

On a $600,000 home, that's roughly $3,000 a year in Colorado against about $8,400 in Texas.

Colorado property taxes did go up in 2026 when a temporary discount expired. I explained what changed here: Colorado's 2026 Property Tax Hike, Explained.

What is Colorado's senior property tax exemption?

Here's the rule I promised you.

Colorado has a senior property tax break that exempts half of the first $200,000 of your home's value. That's real money. But to get it, you have to:

1. Be 65 or older, and
2. Have owned and lived in that same home for 10 years in a row.

Move here at 66, and you're 76 before it kicks in. The years in your house back home don't count.

So don't build it into your budget. If it shows up later, it's a bonus. Your county assessor can confirm the current rules for your situation.

Is healthcare good in Northern Colorado?

Northern Colorado is in a strong spot. UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland is the only Level I trauma center in Northern Colorado. That's the highest level of trauma care there is, and it's a regional heart center too. The most serious cases used to get sent down to Denver. Now they can stay right here.

Your homework: Northern Colorado has more than one hospital system. Before you fall in love with a town, look up the hospital closest to it and make sure your Medicare plan works with that system. One phone call can save you a big headache.

What are the downsides of retiring in Colorado?

The good, the bad and the ugly. 4 honest downsides.

1. The altitude. Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins all sit right around 5,000 feet. Most people I work with feel it for a couple of weeks. You get a little winded on the stairs, you drink a lot more water, and then your body figures it out. If you have a heart or lung condition, talk to your doctor before you move. That's not me being dramatic. That's just smart.

2. It does snow. We get real winter days. But in my experience on the Front Range, a lot of that snow is melted off the sidewalks in a day or 2. In the fall it's heater in the morning, AC in the afternoon and back to the heater at night, so keep a jacket handy unless it's June or July.

3. The dry air. Your skin is going to notice. Lotion, a humidifier and a water bottle become your new best friends. The upside: you can mow the lawn or play a round of golf without dripping in sweat, and you won't get eaten alive by mosquitoes.

4. Clay soil. If you love to garden, this one's for you. We have clay soil out here, not rich Midwest topsoil. Lawns and gardens take some work. My advice? Raised beds, so you can fill them with good soil and actually get things to grow.

What should retirees look for in a house in Colorado?

This is where retirees make the biggest mistakes. 3 things.

1. Think about how the home will age with you. If you've already had a hip or knee replacement, or you just want to plan ahead, look at main floor living: primary bedroom, laundry and kitchen all on one level.

2. Know the difference between a 55+ community and a golf community. Lakeshore at Centerra in Loveland is age restricted, 55 and up. Heron Lakes at TPC Colorado in Berthoud gets mentioned to retirees all the time. It's a beautiful golf community, but it's not age restricted. Both can be great. They're just very different day to day lives.

3. If you'll travel, look hard at the HOA. If you plan to spend part of the winter somewhere warm, look at homes where the HOA handles the snow and the yard. Lock it, leave it, and come home to a house that's been taken care of.

How far is Longmont from the Denver airport?

Which brings me to the real reason a lot of people move. Family.

Maybe your kids and grandkids are already out here, and you're tired of seeing them twice a year on a holiday. Imagine being the grandparent who's at the soccer game on Saturday. Who picks them up from school when somebody gets sick. Who's just there.

And if some of your family is staying behind, you'll be flying. From Longmont to the Denver airport terminal is about 45 to 55 minutes. That's one of the reasons I picked Longmont for my own family.

There's also a new direct bus. Since September 27, 2026, RTD's SkyRide Route AL runs hourly from the 8th and Coffman Park-n-Ride in Longmont to DIA, 6 AM to 10 PM, for a $10 fare. Sit back, read a book, and let somebody else deal with the traffic and the airport parking.

Can I buy a house in Colorado from out of state?

Yes. Let me tell you about George and Jan.

George and Jan are retired, and they moved here from Georgia to live the Colorado life and be closer to their son. They found me on YouTube. Here's what surprised me. They had already bought several homes in their lives. They knew how buying a house works, and they weren't scared of the purchase. What they were scared of was picking the wrong agent from 2 time zones away. So they interviewed several agents over Zoom before they hired anybody.

Once we got going, it was smooth sailing. They flew out one time, for the inspection. I handled everything else. The home was listed at $1,275,000 and we closed at $1,250,000, $25,000 under list, with several inspection items repaired before closing. On closing day I put a lockbox on their new front door, so they could move in whenever they were ready, on their own timeline.

George and Jan didn't move for a house. They moved for a life. And here's what I learned from them: when you retire to a new state, you're not choosing a house from 2 time zones away. You're choosing a person.

Past results don't guarantee future outcomes.

Thinking about retiring to Northern Colorado?

Here's what I'd do:

1. Get clear on the money first, with a tax pro.
2. Check your hospital and your Medicare plan.
3. Talk to an agent who helps people move here from out of state.

I have an out of state buyer program built for exactly this. I film every home you're serious about, the good, the bad and the ugly. You fly out once for the inspection, and I handle the rest, including sending someone to your current home to sign closing documents.

You spent your whole career living where you had to. Now you get to live where you want to.

Text or call me at (720)741-7474, or book a time with me.

Sources: City of Longmont (Senior Center, Longmont Museum); Boulder County Farmers Markets (2026); National Park Service (Senior Pass); Colorado Department of Revenue (2026); Colorado General Assembly (senior homestead exemption); Tax Foundation (2026); UCHealth; RTD (2026). Tax information is general and current for 2026. It is not tax or legal advice. Talk to a CPA about your situation.

Noah Inhofer · Colorado License #100088958 · eXp Realty
2319 Spencer St, Longmont, CO 80501
Equal Housing Opportunity