Boulder, CO vs Chicago, IL
Moving from Boulder to Chicago? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($727,954 → $353,998 median home) and taxes.
Boulder vs Chicago at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Boulder, CO, you'd need about $100,749 in Chicago, IL (+$749).
Livability — Boulder, CO: 54 · Chicago, IL: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,305 sqft in Boulder vs 2,402 sqft in Chicago ($383 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Boulder, CO | Chicago, IL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,084 | $27,192 | +$108 |
| Groceries | $4,814 | $5,215 | +$401 |
| Transportation | $4,050 | $3,550 | −$500 |
| Utilities | $5,052 | $4,800 | −$252 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $7,120 | $8,051 | +$932 |
| Total | $48,299 | $48,988 | +$689 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Boulder, CO: 7.1% · Chicago, IL: 8.1% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Boulder, CO | Chicago, IL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.6 | 102.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 6.19% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.8% | 0.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.83 |
| Median home price | $727,954 | $353,998 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.3× | 4.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.6% | 4.4% |
| Price per square foot | $383 | $208 |
| Median rent | $2,257 | $2,266 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 9.7% | 12.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.77% | 8.86% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.40% | 4.95% |
| Property tax rate | 0.53% | 2.11% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.3 yrs | 78.2 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 5.9% | 8.4% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 120 | 85 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $14,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.79% | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 0 | 18 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 82% | 96% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 31 |
| Commute by driving alone | 55.6% | 63.6% |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,800 | $1,900 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,600 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 90.7 — Relatively Moderate | 97.1 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $300 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.5 | 20.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $65 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $120 | $57 |
| Home internet / mo | $87 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 490 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 15 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 15.4 | 40.9 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 49.0 | 38.8 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 69% | 54% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |
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