Cost of living comparison
compared to
Portland vs. Boulder Cost of Living Summary
Portland is 1.9% cheaper than Boulder.
Portland vs. Boulder Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Portland instead of Boulder, you would:
pay 15.2% less for restaurants
Boulder | Portland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $25.00 | $20.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.00 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $3.75 | $2.55 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.38 | $1.95 | |
Boulder vs. Portland - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.9% more for groceries
Boulder | Portland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.61 | $4.36 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.61 | $7.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.82 | $4.08 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.50 | $5.29 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.78 | $5.84 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.04 | $2.25 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.67 | $0.86 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.69 | $2.00 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.16 | $2.29 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.20 | $1.35 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.16 | $0.91 | |
Boulder vs. Portland - Cost of groceries
pay 7.4% more for transportation
Boulder | Portland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.08 | $3.86 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $150.00 | $100.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $36,029.12 | $33,832.84 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $13.70 | $19.71 | |
Boulder vs. Portland - Cost of transportation
pay 3.2% less for housing
Boulder | Portland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $71.67 | $64.38 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,100.00 | $1,943.77 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,833.33 | $1,565.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $146.62 | $174.97 | |
Boulder vs. Portland - Cost of housing
pay 11.4% less for childcare
Boulder | Portland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,546.67 | $1,778.89 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $30,700.00 | $19,063.20 | |
Boulder vs. Portland - Cost of childcare
pay 12.1% less for entertainment and sports
Boulder | Portland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.25 | $7.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.62 | $4.92 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.00 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $79.22 | $40.46 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $16.50 | $13.00 | |
Boulder vs. Portland - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.0% more for clothing
Boulder | Portland | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $58.08 | $63.50 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $37.50 | $45.31 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $91.67 | $104.18 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $103.00 | $115.56 | |
Boulder vs. Portland - Cost of clothing
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 2026
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