Boulder cost of living
Prices in the Boulder, CO metro area run at 105.2 against a national average of 100, ranking it #29 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 157.0.
What drives the number
Prices in Boulder run at 105.2 where the national average is 100, so about 5.2 per cent above the country as a whole. It ranks #29 of 387 metro areas. Against Colorado as a whole it is 2.1 points more expensive, which is the usual direction: cities cost more than the states around them.
Housing is doing nearly all of the work. Rents sit at 157.0 while goods sit at 96.1, a gap of 51.8 points between what it costs to live somewhere and what it costs to buy things. Goods barely vary across the country because most are shipped and priced nationally, so a place is expensive almost entirely to the extent its housing is.
A salary offer here is worth less than the same offer somewhere at 100, and the parity is the arithmetic that says by how much. Divide the offer by 105.2 and multiply by 100 to get the nationally comparable figure.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in Boulder is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 7,790 | $159,670 | $151,778 | $133,080 |
| Retail Salespersons | 5,000 | $37,720 | $35,856 | $34,580 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 4,510 | $36,130 | $34,344 | $30,480 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 4,090 | $95,470 | $90,751 | $81,270 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 4,070 | $91,530 | $87,006 | $66,260 |
| Cashiers | 3,250 | $37,120 | $35,285 | $31,190 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,140 | $99,530 | $94,610 | $93,600 |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,100 | $147,810 | $140,504 | $102,950 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 105.2.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | 105.8 | 146.9 | #24 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland | 101.1 | 120.6 | #65 |
| Colorado Springs | 100.7 | 116.2 | #75 |
| Greeley | 100.2 | 112.6 | #85 |
| Grand Junction | 95.5 | 86.4 | #157 |
| Pueblo | 91.8 | 71.3 | #251 |
Boulder: common questions
Is Boulder expensive?
Prices are 5.2% above the national average, a parity of 105.2 where the country is 100. It ranks #29 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Colorado as a whole it is 2.1 points more expensive.
What salary do you need in Boulder?
The median worker there earns $67,510, which buys what $64,173 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 157.0 against goods at 96.1. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.