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Price of Paradise

Price of Paradise

Coloradans may be crazy about the state’s sunshine and high mountain peaks, but the cost of enjoying it all has become a real buzzkill. Nearly 90% of residents rank the rising cost of living as a very serious problem, far surpassing worries about jobs, wildfires or crime. In this four- part series, KUNC unpacks what we’re struggling to afford.
Melissa McChristian, the owner of Ouray Family Childcare, helps out with play-doh on a January afternoon. She's part of a new local project that aims to address both housing affordability and childcare.
News
Here’s a look inside one Colorado town's childcare fix: putting daycares in affordable homes
Leigh Paterson
Colorado is in a childcare crisis. Around half of families struggle to find care. In rural areas, the shortage can be even worse. But some communities, like Ouray, are finding their way with a new project to close the gap between kids and care.


Cars drive on a street, with a mountain in the distance.
News
‘The family child care curse’: A slew of in-home centers have closed in Routt County
Leigh Paterson
Colorado has fewer licensed in-home daycares than it did before the pandemic. The drop has been particularly steep in communities like Steamboat Springs.


Eight-year-old Johnny Campbell (left) and ten-year-old Gage Campbell (right) play out in the snow with their dog, Jax, on Jan. 26th, 2026, in Loveland, Colo.
News
Colorado pet owners love their furry friends, but it comes with a high price tag
Emma VandenEinde
The cost of feeding and caring for our pets has dramatically increased. That's hard to stomach with Colorado's high cost of living. But the guilt of not caring for these animals remains.


A woman with short gray hair stands on the far left in a snow covered parking lot wearing a blue and gold ski jacket. In the background is Copper Mountain with two groomed trails. In the center of the photo is the back of an SUV with the rear door open and three ski boots bags sit in the back. A teenage girl wearing ski boots, blue ski pants and a helmet with goggles, zips up her blue, light pink and rose pink ski jacket. Next to her stands a teenage boy wearing ski boots, black ski pants, a black sweatshirt with a white "Boulder" logo, blue neck and ear warmer, helmet and googles. On the far right is an arm and had carrying two ski poles.
News
Skiing in Colorado is expensive. Here’s how enthusiasts are making it work
Stephanie Daniel
Skiing and snowboarding in Colorado comes with some major price tags: from lift tickets to that bowl of chili in the lodge. Not to mention long lift lines and I-70 traffic. KUNC News talked with people about the high cost of hitting the slopes.


A man sits holding a cat on a grey living room couch in front of a window with a blue sky.
News
For Colorado homeowners, insurance is taking a bigger bite of the budget
Rachel Cohen
Hail is the biggest driver of insurance hikes. It means price increases are being felt across the state — not just in the mountains but also in the suburbs.