Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Boulder's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Boulder?
Your $100,000 in Boulder has the same purchasing power as $81,940 in the average US city. You'd need $18,060 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Boulder's cost index of 122, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Boulder? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: solidly above-average earnings and walkable in a way most us cities aren't, plus 4 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Median household income in Boulder is $80,243, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
Boulder earns a Walk Score of 71/100 — above the US median, with denser neighborhoods scoring higher than the citywide aggregate suggests. A car is still useful for longer trips, but everyday life works on foot for a lot of residents.
Boulder's Bike Score is 99/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
Boulder's air quality index averages about 36 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
The average one-way commute in Boulder is about 19 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
77% of adults 25 and over in Boulder hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Boulder's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Yes — and a lot of it. With winter averages near 19°F, Boulder sees real accumulation most years. Salt for the steps, tires that handle ice, and a sense of humor about February are the usual costs of admission.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Boulder averages roughly 19°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Boulder runs about 87°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Boulder falls in roughly USDA Zone 7. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Boulder is at about 5,266 feet (1,605 m) — high enough that newcomers from sea level sometimes feel a touch winded the first few days, dehydrate faster than expected, and notice that water boils a little quicker. Acclimation is usually a week or so.
Average for an American city. Boulder's reported crime rate of about 3,426 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Yes, noticeably. Boulder's cost-of-living index runs 122, about 22% above the US baseline. Housing usually accounts for most of the markup; groceries and services run higher too but with less drama.
Yes — Boulder is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 71/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Transit Score is 43 out of 100. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $85,428 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Boulder runs about $1,853/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.