Centennial vs Highlands Ranch: Home Prices, Taxes and Commutes

Centennial vs Highlands Ranch by the Numbers

MLS closed sales Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026; listings as of Oct 31, 2026. Counts change daily. See also Downsizing in Centennial and Downsizing in Highlands Ranch.

I'm Brian Lee Burke, and I've been a REALTOR since 2003. Centennial and Highlands Ranch sit next to each other south of Denver, one in Arapahoe County and one in Douglas County. Over the last year the median home sold for $650,000 in Centennial and $705,000 in Highlands Ranch.

The bigger differences are who runs things, what you pay on top of the mortgage, home age and rail access. Here's how they compare, using MLS data I pulled on October 29, 2026 and official city, county and district sources.

Chapters

1. Centennial and Highlands Ranch Side by Side
2. Highlands Ranch Costs More per Square Foot
3. A City vs an Unincorporated Community
4. Property Taxes
5. Older Homes in Centennial, Newer in Highlands Ranch
6. Rail and Roads
7. Parks and Trails
8. Water and Schools
9. Choose Centennial or Highlands Ranch Based on These Points
10. Questions I Hear Most

Centennial and Highlands Ranch Side by Side

Market figures: MLS data by mailing city, pulled October 29, 2026; sold figures cover October 29, 2025 to October 28, 2026 (residential). Population: Census Vintage 2025 estimate for Centennial; 2020 Census for Highlands Ranch (a Census Designated Place). Median year built: ACS 2020–2024.

Highlands Ranch Costs More per Square Foot

The medians are $55,000 apart, and Highlands Ranch's price per square foot is higher, $292 to Centennial's $282. Centennial homes sit on bigger lots, a median of 0.21 acre against 0.15.

Centennial has twice as many sales under $500,000. By ZIP, Centennial's 80015 had a median of $580,000 and Highlands Ranch's 80126 had $765,000.

A City vs an Unincorporated Community

Centennial became a city in 2001 and has its own council. Highlands Ranch is unincorporated: Douglas County handles planning and zoning, the Highlands Ranch Metro District runs parks, trails and open space, and the HRCA is the master HOA.

Every Highlands Ranch home pays the HRCA, $174 a quarter in 2026, which covers four rec centers. In Centennial, HOAs vary by neighborhood: 75 of the 282 homes for sale on October 29, 2026 listed no HOA fee.

Property Taxes

Centennial's own levy is 5.076 mills. The total comes from the districts on each address, and the school district matters most: on a $700,000 Assessor value at 2025 levies, a Centennial tax area in Cherry Creek schools (95.562 mills) is about $4,480 a year, and one in Littleton Public Schools (103.212 mills) about $4,880.

Highlands Ranch's most common total is 98.821 mills, about $4,580 on the same value, plus the $696 HRCA assessment. Check the exact parcel. My guide: Highlands Ranch property taxes.

Older Homes in Centennial, Newer in Highlands Ranch

Census figures put the median year built at 1983 in Centennial and 1997 in Highlands Ranch. In either one, ask for the age of the roof, furnace, water heater and sewer line, and get a sewer scope.

Neither has much new construction: 13 new homes were for sale in Centennial on October 29, 2026, and none in Highlands Ranch.

Rail and Roads

Centennial has Dry Creek light rail station inside the city, with Arapahoe at Village Center and Orchard just over the line in Greenwood Village. Highlands Ranch has no station inside it; the nearest are Littleton–Mineral, County Line and Lincoln, and RTD Route 402L runs along Highlands Ranch Parkway.

Highlands Ranch sits along C-470. Centennial stretches from Santa Fe Drive in the west to E-470 in the east, so commutes vary a lot by address. Drive yours at rush hour.

Parks and Trails

South Suburban Parks and Recreation serves central and west Centennial, and the Trails Park and Recreation District serves much of the east side. Highlands Ranch has more than 70 miles of Metro District trails and the HRCA's 8,200-acre Backcountry Wilderness Area for members and guests.

Water and Schools

Centennial is served by several water and sanitation districts; Highlands Ranch by Highlands Ranch Water. Ask the seller for a year of bills.

School districts depend on the address: Cherry Creek or Littleton Public Schools in Centennial, Douglas County RE-1 in Highlands Ranch. Use each district's locator.

Choose Centennial or Highlands Ranch Based on These Points

Centennial may make more sense if you want:

• A home with no HOA, or a bigger lot
• Dry Creek light rail station inside the city
• More homes under $500,000
• A city government

Highlands Ranch may make more sense if you want:

• Four rec centers included in your HRCA assessment
• Newer homes on average
• The Backcountry Wilderness Area and 70+ miles of trails
• Quick access to C-470

Read more: 19 Things to Know BEFORE Moving to Highlands Ranch, CO, Centennial vs Littleton, Highlands Ranch vs Parker and Centennial, Highlands Ranch and Parker compared.

Questions I Hear Most

Still Deciding?

Centennial and Highlands Ranch are next-door neighbors with different setups. I'd decide on the HOA, home age, rail access and the tax stack on the exact address.

Call or text my office at 303-955-4220, or send us a message, and we'll pull the taxes, HOA, water and boundary details for any address in either one.