Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Westminster's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Westminster?
Your $100,000 in Westminster has the same purchasing power as $84,147 in the average US city. You'd need $15,853 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 Westminster's cost index of 119, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Westminster? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: solidly above-average earnings and bike infrastructure that actually exists, plus 2 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Median household income in Westminster is $90,651, 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.
Westminster's Bike Score is 60/100 — 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.
Westminster'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.
42% of adults 25 and over in Westminster 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 Westminster'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, Westminster 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 Westminster 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 Westminster runs about 87°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Westminster 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.
Westminster is at about 5,338 feet (1,627 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.
Higher than average. Westminster reports about 4,870 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the US average of around 3,500. Citywide numbers are often dragged up by a few hotspots; specific neighborhoods can be very safe in cities that don't look great on paper, and vice versa.
Yes, noticeably. Westminster's cost-of-living index runs 119, about 19% above the US baseline. Housing usually accounts for most of the markup; groceries and services run higher too but with less drama.
Not really — Westminster is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 18 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Transit Score is 22 out of 100. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $83,188 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 Westminster runs about $1,732/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.