Downtown Colorado Springs Rent Index: Q2 2026

---
title: "Downtown Colorado Springs Rent Index: Q2 2026"
description: "A quarterly compilation of Colorado Springs apartment rent figures from named public sources. Figures from different methodologies are presented side by side, never averaged."
source: "https://www.avian-coloradosprings.com/colorado-springs-rent-index"
markdown: "https://www.avian-coloradosprings.com/markdown/colorado-springs-rent-index"
lastModified: "2026-07-22"
---

# Downtown Colorado Springs Rent Index: Q2 2026

A quarterly compilation of Colorado Springs apartment rent figures from named public sources. Figures from different methodologies are presented side by side, never averaged.

## The Q2 2026 numbers

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Downtown effective rent, Q2 2026 | $1,487 | -4.3% year over year; Downtown Partnership Q2 2026 Market Report |
| Downtown vacancy | 14.3% | Down from 18.8% last quarter; 712 units delivered in the year, growing inventory about 20% to 4,346 units |
| Citywide effective rent, Q2 2026 | $1,390 | -1.9% year over year; MMG Real Estate Advisors, Q2 2026 |
| Citywide direction | +0.9% | Sequential change this quarter; second straight quarterly gain |

Caveat: The Q1 2026 report printed a $1,666 effective rent that conflicts with the Q2 report's own quarter-over-quarter math. We publish the Q2 figure and flag the discrepancy rather than reconcile it.
## What the trackers say right now

| Source | Figure | Measures | Period | Year over year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Zillow (active listings)](https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/market-trends/colorado-springs-co/) | $1,956 | listing average | July 2026 | -2.0% |
| [Zillow ZORI](https://www.zillow.com/research/data/) | $1,739 | index value | June 2026 | +1.0% |
| [Zumper](https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/colorado-springs-co) | $1,845 | listing median | July 2026 | flat |
| [Apartments.com (CoStar)](https://www.apartments.com/rent-market-trends/colorado-springs-co/) | $1,309 | listing average | July 2026 | +0.9% |
| [Apartment List](https://www.apartmentlist.com/co/colorado-springs) | $1,338 | listing median | July 2026 | -3.0% |
| [RentCafe (Yardi Matrix)](https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/co/colorado-springs/) | $1,512 | effective average | 2026 (month not stated by source) | -3.7% |
| [MMG Real Estate Advisors](https://mmgrea.com/colorado-springs-q2-2026-market-report/) | $1,390 | effective average | Q2 2026 | -1.9% |

- Zillow (active listings): Average of active listings across all property types, including houses.
- Zillow ZORI: Zillow's smoothed typical-rent index for the city, all rental homes. Multifamily-only metro version: $1,544.
- Zumper: Median of active listings, all property types. Apartments-only median: $1,235. By size: studio $947, 1BR $1,100, 2BR $1,495. Average $1.30 per square foot.
- Apartments.com (CoStar): Headline figure is the one-bedroom average. Studio $1,102, 2BR $1,606.
- Apartment List: 105 of 676 citywide listings (about 15%) advertise a move-in special.
- RentCafe (Yardi Matrix): Yardi Matrix phone-survey data of professionally managed communities.
- MMG Real Estate Advisors: Effective rent per unit across surveyed multifamily communities; +0.9% versus Q1 2026.
## Downtown versus the rest of the city

- +35% on listing sites: Apartments.com put the downtown one-bedroom average at $1,761 versus $1,302 citywide in May 2026.
- +7% on effective rents: Downtown effective rent of $1,487 versus the citywide effective average of $1,390 in Q2 2026. Effective rents net out concessions, so this is the smaller, truer gap.
## How we got here

**Rents fell through 2025.** Zillow's ZORI slid to $1,716 by December 2025. The Pikes Peak Housing Network's average fell from a $1,467 peak in Q4 2024 to $1,395 by Q4 2025. CBRE put year-end 2025 rents down 7.6% year over year. ([Pikes Peak Housing Network data](https://socodigest.com/2026/05/19/colorado-springs-rental-housing-vacancy-rate-2026/))

**The bottom was December 2025 through Q1 2026.** ZORI has risen every month since January 2026, reaching $1,739 in June. MMG recorded two consecutive quarters of sequential effective-rent growth, +0.9% in Q2 2026. ([MMG Q2 2026 report](https://mmgrea.com/colorado-springs-q2-2026-market-report/))

**Downtown is recovering faster than the city.** Downtown vacancy fell from 18.8% to 14.3% in a single quarter as a wave of new lease-ups filled: 712 units delivered in the year to Q2 2026, growing downtown inventory about 20%. ([Downtown Partnership Q2 2026 report](https://www.downtowncs.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Q2-2026-Quarterly-Report-final.pdf))

**Concessions are doing the negotiating.** CBRE reported concessions up 107.5% year over year as of February 2026, and about 15% of citywide Apartment List listings advertise a move-in special. Ask what the current special is before comparing sticker rents. ([Colorado Springs Gazette, February 2026](https://gazette.com/2026/02/04/colorado-springs-real-estate-in-2026-four-key-areas-filled-with-ups-and-downs-depending-on-your-perspective/))
## What this means at Avian

Avian is 2023 new construction in the downtown submarket this index tracks. Current starting rents — studios from $1,691/mo, one-bedrooms from $1,535/mo, two-bedrooms from $2,295/mo — sit above the downtown effective average of $1,487, which spans the area's older stock as well as its newest buildings. In a market where concessions are up sharply, the honest comparison is total cost after specials against the effective average. Current per-plan pricing and specials: [floor plans](/floor-plans). Upfront-cost math: [move-in cost calculator](/move-in-cost-calculator).
## Methodology

- Once a quarter we collect the latest published Colorado Springs rent figures from the sources named on this page: listing-site trackers (Zillow, Zumper, Apartment List, Apartments.com), survey-based effective rents (MMG, RentCafe/Yardi Matrix), and the Downtown Partnership's CoStar-based submarket report for downtown.
- We never average across methodologies. A median of active listings, an average of active listings, a smoothed index value, and an effective rent net of concessions are four different measurements; blending them would produce a number nobody actually observed. Each row on this page is labeled with what it measures.
- When a source contradicts itself — as the Downtown Partnership's Q1 and Q2 2026 reports do on effective rent — we publish the most recent figure and flag the conflict rather than silently picking one.
- Downtown means the Downtown Partnership's downtown submarket definition, which covers roughly 4,300 multifamily units. Citywide figures use each source's own geography.
## Common questions

**What is the average rent in downtown Colorado Springs?**

The Downtown Partnership's Q2 2026 report puts downtown's effective rent at $1,487 per unit, down 4.3% year over year, across roughly 4,300 multifamily units. Listing-site trackers quote citywide figures between $1,309 and $1,956 depending on methodology — that spread is why this page shows each source side by side instead of picking one number.

**Is downtown more expensive than the rest of Colorado Springs?**

Yes, by 7% to 35% depending on how you measure. On listing sites, downtown one-bedrooms averaged $1,761 versus $1,302 citywide in May 2026 — a 35% premium. On effective rents, which net out concessions, the Q2 2026 gap was $1,487 versus $1,390 — about 7%. Downtown's newer buildings and heavy concessions explain most of the difference between the two figures.

**Are Colorado Springs rents going up or down?**

Both, depending on the window. Year over year, most trackers are still negative (between -0.01% and -3.7%). Month over month, the market has been rising since the start of 2026: Zillow's index has climbed six straight months and MMG logged +0.9% sequential growth in Q2 2026. The consensus read is that rents bottomed around December 2025 through Q1 2026.

**How often is this rent index updated?**

Quarterly. Each update appends the new quarter's figures from every named source with its reference period, and flags any source-internal contradictions. The methodology section explains what each source measures.