SalaryCompareTool

Boston, MA vs Colorado Springs, CO

Moving from Boston to Colorado Springs? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($741,868 → $457,300 median home) and taxes.

Boston vs Colorado Springs at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Boston, MA Colorado Springs, CO Cost-of-living index Boston, MA — Cost-of-living index: 110 110 Colorado Springs, CO — Cost-of-living index: 98 98 Median home price Boston, MA — Median home price: $742k $742k Colorado Springs, CO — Median home price: $457k $457k Price per sqft Boston, MA — Price per sqft: $436 $436 Colorado Springs, CO — Price per sqft: $241 $241 Median rent Boston, MA — Median rent: $3,211 $3,211 Colorado Springs, CO — Median rent: $1,767 $1,767 Combined sales tax Boston, MA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Colorado Springs, CO — Combined sales tax: 7.8% 7.8% Property tax rate Boston, MA — Property tax rate: 1.14% 1.14% Colorado Springs, CO — Property tax rate: 0.41% 0.41% Violent crime /100k Boston, MA — Violent crime /100k: 330 330 Colorado Springs, CO — Violent crime /100k: 490 490 Electricity ¢/kWh Boston, MA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 29.4 29.4 Colorado Springs, CO — Electricity ¢/kWh: 16.5 16.5 Avg commute (min) Boston, MA — Avg commute (min): 31 31 Colorado Springs, CO — Avg commute (min): 24 24 Avg summer high °F Boston, MA — Avg summer high °F: 82° 82° Colorado Springs, CO — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° Avg winter low °F Boston, MA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° Colorado Springs, CO — Avg winter low °F: 18° 18°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Boston, MA, you'd need about $88,876 in Colorado Springs, CO (−$11,124).

Livability — Boston, MA: 48 · Colorado Springs, CO: 60 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,146 sqft in Boston vs 2,077 sqft in Colorado Springs ($436 vs $241 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBoston, MAColorado Springs, CODifference
Housing $38,532 $21,204 −$17,328
Groceries $5,040 $4,814 −$226
Transportation $3,210 $4,050 +$840
Utilities $3,180 $1,788 −$1,392
Insurance $1,800 $2,800 +$1,000
Taxes $17,694 $8,740 −$8,954
Total $69,455 $43,395 −$26,060

Side by side

MetricBoston, MAColorado Springs, CO
Cost-of-living index110.498.1
Unemployment rate5.02%5.60%
Population growth (5-yr)2.9%8.1%
Air quality (median AQI)4349
Big Mac price (est.)$6.28$5.58
Median home price$741,868$457,300
Home price ÷ income6.9×5.6×
1-yr home appreciation1.6%-1.9%
Price per square foot$436$241
Median rent$3,211$1,767
Total tax burden (% income)11.5%9.7%
Combined sales tax6.25%7.77%
Capital gains tax9.00%4.40%
Property tax rate1.14%0.41%
Healthcare (annual)$8,200$6,800
Childcare (annual, infant)$21,000$16,000
Vehicle property tax2.25%1.79%
Avg commute (min)3124
Home insurance / yr$1,800$2,800
Auto insurance / yr$1,500$2,000
Flood insurance / yr$800$550
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh29.416.5
Gas $/gal3.303.30
Violent crime /100k330490
Avg summer high °F8288
Avg winter low °F2218
Permit difficulty (1–5)43

Ad · affiliate links