Cost of living comparison

 Berkeley (CA), United States
compared to
 Boulder (CO), United States
Boulder vs. Berkeley Cost of Living Summary

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.

Boulder vs. Berkeley Cost Breakdown

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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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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
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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