Cost of living comparison
Boulder is 2.1% cheaper than Berkeley.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.9% less in Boulder
- Groceries
-
pay 25.2% less in Boulder
- Transportation
-
pay 32.4% more in Boulder
- Housing
-
pay 18.9% less in Boulder
- Childcare
-
pay 19.2% less in Boulder
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 0.1% more in Boulder
- Clothing
-
pay 16.8% more in Boulder
The cost of transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports in Boulder are more expensive than in Berkeley. Expenses including groceries, childcare, housing, and restaurants are lower in Boulder.
If you lived in Boulder instead of Berkeley, you would:
pay 0.9% less for restaurants
|
Berkeley
|
Boulder
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.50
|
$21.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.50
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.00
|
$3.06
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.20
|
$2.31
|
|
pay 25.2% less for groceries
|
Berkeley
|
Boulder
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.70
|
$5.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$9.55
|
$5.66
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.98
|
$3.92
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.69
|
$3.88
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.49
|
$5.96
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.94
|
$1.94
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.21
|
$0.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.60
|
$1.43
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.14
|
$1.78
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.89
|
$1.45
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.86
|
$1.07
|
|
pay 32.4% more for transportation
|
Berkeley
|
Boulder
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.85
|
$3.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.00
|
$150.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$32,429.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.41
|
$13.70
|
|
pay 18.9% less for housing
|
Berkeley
|
Boulder
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.50
|
$69.38
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,431.43
|
$1,862.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,180.00
|
$1,512.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$194.16
|
$147.11
|
|
pay 19.2% less for childcare
|
Berkeley
|
Boulder
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,158.33
|
$1,433.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$32,215.00
|
$30,700.00
|
|
pay 0.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Berkeley
|
Boulder
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.67
|
$5.33
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$10.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.00
|
$84.12
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$16.50
|
|
pay 16.8% more for clothing
|
Berkeley
|
Boulder
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.43
|
$64.17
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.12
|
$48.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
$88.33
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$131.92
|
$165.00
|
|
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