Cost of living comparison
compared to
Silver Spring vs. Boulder Cost of Living Summary
Silver Spring is 10.0% more expensive than Boulder.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.8% less in Silver Spring
- Groceries
-
pay 36.2% more in Silver Spring
- Transportation
-
pay 5.3% more in Silver Spring
- Housing
-
pay 19.6% less in Silver Spring
- Childcare
-
pay 69.9% more in Silver Spring
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.2% less in Silver Spring
- Clothing
-
pay 0.6% less in Silver Spring
Silver Spring vs. Boulder Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Silver Spring instead of Boulder, you would:
pay 4.8% less for restaurants
|
Boulder
|
Silver Spring
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.75
|
$2.91
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.38
|
$2.50
|
|
Boulder vs. Silver Spring - Cost of restaurants
pay 36.2% more for groceries
|
Boulder
|
Silver Spring
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.61
|
$3.78
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.61
|
$9.18
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.82
|
$3.58
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.50
|
$5.99
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.78
|
$6.49
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$3.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.67
|
$0.79
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.69
|
$3.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$3.67
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.20
|
$1.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.83
|
|
Boulder vs. Silver Spring - Cost of groceries
pay 5.3% more for transportation
|
Boulder
|
Silver Spring
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.08
|
$3.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$150.00
|
$176.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,029.12
|
$34,231.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.70
|
$14.58
|
|
Boulder vs. Silver Spring - Cost of transportation
pay 19.6% less for housing
|
Boulder
|
Silver Spring
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$71.67
|
$65.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,100.00
|
$1,945.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,833.33
|
$1,150.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$146.62
|
$110.88
|
|
Boulder vs. Silver Spring - Cost of housing
pay 69.9% more for childcare
|
Boulder
|
Silver Spring
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,546.67
|
$2,233.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,700.00
|
$60,000.00
|
|
Boulder vs. Silver Spring - Cost of childcare
pay 16.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Boulder
|
Silver Spring
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.25
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.62
|
$5.29
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$79.22
|
$33.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.50
|
$17.00
|
|
Boulder vs. Silver Spring - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.6% less for clothing
|
Boulder
|
Silver Spring
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.08
|
$46.75
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.50
|
$36.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.67
|
$95.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.00
|
$120.00
|
|
Boulder vs. Silver Spring - 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: July 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Boulder vs. Silver Spring
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Silver Spring or Boulder. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.