Even on the area’s higher pay, Sterling Ranch costs more to live in than 85% of U.S. towns
It ranks #124 of 158 in Colorado for affordability.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area ($106K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Sterling Ranch’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($106K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up no better than renters: 15% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 6% of renters.
In dollars
- $3,090a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 7.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$106K, Denver-area income
- 40%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 15%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Sterling Ranch’s housing numbers say
A high property tax rate
Owners pay about 0.91% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 0.48% across Colorado. The median bill is $7,302 (Colorado: $2,602). On the typical home, that’s about $590 a month. Property taxes ↓
Mostly newer homes
Half of Sterling Ranch’s homes were built after 2021, against 1988 for Colorado as a whole. Property taxes ↓
Nearly every household owns
91% of Sterling Ranch households own their home, against 66% across Colorado. There are only 119 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Sterling Ranch, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; sales and supply are Redfin’s for May 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Sterling Ranch’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Sterling Ranch is more affordable than 15% of U.S. towns, #124 of 158 in Colorado. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Home prices up 30% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around Sterling Ranch rose 30% over the past 5 years, slower than across Colorado (38%). Last year prices fell 2.3%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Sterling Ranch home at roughly $774,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $774K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Sterling Ranch, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3.7 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, May 2026.
A typical home costs 7.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Sterling Ranch’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $362K short of a typical Sterling Ranch home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $3,090 a month here, $1,560 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Sterling Ranch’s typical property tax (0.91% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $3,090
Renters already here pay a median of $3,501.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs above the Colorado norm
The median bill is $7,302 (Colorado: $2,602), 0.91% of a home’s value a year, against 0.48% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Sterling Ranch and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Ranch | D | — | $802K | 0.91% | $3,090 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Sterling Ranch
Is Sterling Ranch expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Sterling Ranch costs more than 85% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #124 of 158 in Colorado. The typical home costs 7.6 years of the median household income of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area ($106K).
How much is rent in Sterling Ranch?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $3,090 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $3,501 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Sterling Ranch?
The median bill is $7,302 a year, 0.91% of the median home value (Colorado: $2,602, 0.48%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Sterling Ranch buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.