Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boulder vs. Portland Cost of Living Summary
Boulder is 8.3% more expensive than Portland.
Boulder vs. Portland Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boulder instead of Portland, you would:
pay 21.4% more for restaurants
Portland | Boulder | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $20.00 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.00 | $11.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.55 | $3.75 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.95 | $2.38 | |
Portland vs. Boulder - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.7% less for groceries
Portland | Boulder | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.36 | $3.61 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $7.50 | $6.61 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.08 | $3.82 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.29 | $5.50 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.84 | $6.78 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.25 | $2.04 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.86 | $0.67 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.00 | $1.69 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.29 | $2.16 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.35 | $1.20 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.91 | $1.16 | |
Portland vs. Boulder - Cost of groceries
pay 1.4% more for transportation
Portland | Boulder | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.86 | $3.08 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $100.00 | $150.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $33,832.84 | $36,029.12 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $19.71 | $13.70 | |
Portland vs. Boulder - Cost of transportation
pay 5.1% more for housing
Portland | Boulder | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $64.38 | $71.67 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,943.77 | $2,100.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,565.00 | $1,833.33 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $174.97 | $146.62 | |
Portland vs. Boulder - Cost of housing
pay 23.9% more for childcare
Portland | Boulder | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,778.89 | $1,546.67 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $19,063.20 | $30,700.00 | |
Portland vs. Boulder - Cost of childcare
pay 23.4% more for entertainment and sports
Portland | Boulder | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.00 | $6.25 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $4.92 | $5.62 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.00 | $10.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $40.46 | $79.22 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.00 | $16.50 | |
Portland vs. Boulder - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.2% less for clothing
Portland | Boulder | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $63.50 | $58.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $45.31 | $37.50 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $104.18 | $91.67 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $115.56 | $103.00 | |
Portland vs. Boulder - 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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