Boulder, CO vs Los Angeles, CA
Moving from Boulder to Los Angeles? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($727,954 → $968,608 median home) and taxes.
Boulder vs Los Angeles 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 $115,310 in Los Angeles, CA (+$15,310).
Livability — Boulder, CO: 54 · Los Angeles, CA: 42 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,305 sqft in Boulder vs 774 sqft in Los Angeles ($383 vs $646 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Boulder, CO | Los Angeles, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,084 | $34,908 | +$7,824 |
| Groceries | $4,814 | $5,354 | +$540 |
| Transportation | $4,050 | $5,125 | +$1,075 |
| Utilities | $5,052 | $7,320 | +$2,268 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $7,120 | $8,826 | +$1,706 |
| Total | $48,299 | $61,713 | +$13,413 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Boulder, CO: 7.1% · Los Angeles, CA: 8.8% (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 | Los Angeles, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.6 | 114.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 6.59% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.8% | -1.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 80 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $6.53 |
| Median home price | $727,954 | $968,608 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.3× | 10.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.6% | 0.3% |
| Price per square foot | $383 | $646 |
| Median rent | $2,257 | $2,909 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 9.7% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.77% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.40% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 0.53% | 0.69% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 82.3 yrs | 79.9 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 5.9% | 8.9% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 120 | 81 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.79% | 0.65% |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 0 | 21 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 82% | 72% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 30 |
| Commute by driving alone | 55.6% | 67.1% |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,800 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $2,400 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 90.7 — Relatively Moderate | 100.0 — Very High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.5 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 4.85 |
| Natural gas / mo | $65 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $120 | $138 |
| Home internet / mo | $87 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 490 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 45 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 15.4 | 14.3 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 49.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 69% | 73% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 5 |
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