Boulder, CO vs Atlanta, GA
Moving from Boulder to Atlanta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($727,954 → $382,938 median home) and taxes.
Boulder vs Atlanta 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 $99,868 in Atlanta, GA (−$132).
Livability — Boulder, CO: 54 · Atlanta, GA: 66 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,305 sqft in Boulder vs 2,677 sqft in Atlanta ($383 vs $187 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Boulder, CO | Atlanta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $27,084 | $22,080 | −$5,004 |
| Groceries | $4,814 | $4,926 | +$112 |
| Transportation | $4,050 | $3,515 | −$535 |
| Utilities | $1,788 | $1,656 | −$132 |
| Insurance | $2,800 | $2,100 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $10,679 | $10,533 | −$145 |
| Total | $51,214 | $44,810 | −$6,404 |
Side by side
| Metric | Boulder, CO | Atlanta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.6 | 100.5 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.41% | 5.04% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.8% | 6.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 49 | 56 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.72 | $5.72 |
| Median home price | $727,954 | $382,938 |
| Home price ÷ income | 7.3× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.6% | -2.1% |
| Price per square foot | $383 | $187 |
| Median rent | $2,257 | $1,840 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.7% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.77% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.40% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.53% | 0.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.79% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 32 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,800 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.5 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.15 |
| Violent crime /100k | 490 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 88 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 18 | 34 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |