Boulder

Life quality score

City ranking

Housing

4
232/265
Details
Large apartment$2300.00
Medium apartment$1800.00
Rent index [score]0.36
Small apartment$1300.00

Cost of Living

5
212/248
Details
5km taxi ride$9.10
A Cappuccino$4.80
A beer$2.60
A kilogram of Apples$3.60
Bread$0.90
Inflation [score]0.45
Lunch$13.00
Monthly fitness club membership$72.00
Monthly public transport$89.00
Movie ticket$13.00
Price of a meal at a restaurant$73.65

Startups

6
65/264
Details
Average monthly increase in number of startups5
Average monthly increase in number of startups [score]0.41
Coworking spaces [score]1.00
Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co23
Meetups [score]0.82
Meetups groups199
Meetups members174345
Number of investors431
Number of startup events in the last 12 months383
Number of upcoming meetup events88
Startup climate scene [score]0.66
Startup events83
Startup events [score]0.64
Startups [score]0.76
Total number of startups480

Venture Capital

6
32/192
Details
Funding accelerator namesTechstars Boulder, Mergelane
Number of funding accelerators2
Venture capital [score]0.60

Travel Connectivity

4
85/266
Details
Airport hub169
Airport hub [score]0.73
Intercity train connectivity [score]0.11

Commute

6
11/255
Details
Traffic handling [score]1.00

Business Freedom

9
69/264
Details
Business freedom84.70
Business freedom [score]0.86
Freedom from corruption74.00
Freedom from corruption [score]0.79
Lack of labor restrictions91.40
Lack of labor restrictions [score]1.00
Time to open a business5.60
Time to open a business [score]0.95

Safety

7
142/266
Details
Crime rate [score]0.98
Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year12
Guns per 100 residents103
Lack of gun related deaths [score]0.68
Lack of guns [score]0.43
Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score]0.56

Healthcare

9
45/265
Details
Healthcare expenditure [score]0.99
Healthcare quality [score]0.92
Life expectancy (years)79.28
Life expectancy [score]0.76

Education

5
101/240
Details
Best university in rankingUniversity of Colorado Boulder
Best university ranking116
Country mean scores in PISA math test478.04
Country mean scores in PISA reading test497.58
Country mean scores in PISA science test497.41
PISA math ranking (high school)30
PISA ranking24
PISA ranking (high school) [score]0.72
PISA reading (high school)16
PISA science (high school)19
Percent of happy students0.77
Percent of low performers in PISA math test0.26
Percent of low performers in PISA reading test0.17
Percent of low performers in PISA science test0.18
Percent of top performers in PISA math test0.09
Percent of top performers in PISA reading test0.08
Percent of top performers in PISA science test0.07
University quality [score]0.21

Environmental Quality

10
2/266
Details
Air quality [score]0.97
Cleanliness [score]0.97
Drinking water quality [score]1.00
Urban greenery [score]1.00

Economy

7
16/263
Details
Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area1.00
Currency for urban areaUSD
GDP growth rate0.02
GDP growth rate [score]0.43
GDP per capita$54596.65
GDP per capita [score]0.87

Taxation

4
151/266
Details
Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score]0.54
Income tax level [score]0.33
Profit tax (% of profit)0.44
Time overhead to file company taxes175
VAT (Sales Tax)0.09

Internet Access

6
65/266
Details
Download speed (Mbps)86.67
Internet access (download) [score]0.80
Internet access (upload) [score]0.45
Upload speed (Mbps)10.35

Leisure & Culture

3
248/264
Details
Art galleries65
Art galleries [score]0.55
Cinemas23
Cinemas [score]0.48
Comedy clubs10
Comedy clubs [score]0.40
Concert venues72
Concerts [score]0.59
Historical sites19
Historical sites [score]0.26
Museums14
Museums [score]0.25
Performing art venues65
Performing arts [score]0.56
Sport venues12
Sports [score]0.53
Zoos3
Zoos [score]0.28

Tolerance

9
11/266
Details
LGBT Equality Index93.13
LGBT Equality Index [score]0.96
LGBT adoption rights✔ Legal
LGBT age of consent✔ Equal
LGBT blood donation regulations✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
LGBT conversion therapy regulationsAmbiguous
LGBT discrimination legality✔ Illegal
LGBT employment discrimination legality✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
LGBT gender changing rights✔ Legal, surgery not required
LGBT homosexuality rights✔ Legal
LGBT housing discrimination legality✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
LGBT marriage rights✔ Legal
Tolerance towards minorities [score]0.90

Outdoors

7
16/266
Details
Elevation (hills or mountains) [score]0.73
Median peak in meters2516.00
Presence of hills in city1.00
Presence of mountains in city1.00
Urban area elevation (meters)1631.00
Water access [score]0.61
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Cost of living

Costs of living in Boulder are in the most expensive 20 percent of all 248 Teleport cities. Average living expenses are significantly higher compared to other cities, especially in the housing market. Moving to Boulder will very likely increase your daily costs of living. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international  cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.

Housing costs (USD)

$1,200$1,500
$1300
Median rent for
apartments in city center

Daily living costs (USD)

Monthly fitness club membership$72
Movie ticket$13
Broadband internet connection$51
Monthly public transport$89
Lunch$13
-19%
compared to
San Francisco
See more prices and detailed cost of living data in Boulder

Job salary calculator

Software Engineer salaries in Boulder are very high. For this job type, Boulder ranks 7th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Boulder.

Estimated annual salary (in USD)

$93,139
Median salary
See more details and salary rankings for all job types in Boulder

Locals review Boulder

Do locals recommend living in Boulder?

What could Boulder do better?#improveBoulder

How could Boulder improve to make it a more liveable city? We will make sure that the local government will know about the suggestions that reach enough votes*.
*Suggestions will be delivered to: Mayor of Boulder - Suzanne Jones
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something that can be improved about your city.

What makes Boulder a special place?#praiseBoulder

Is Boulder a great place to live? What makes it special for you? What makes it liveable? What should others know about? Why should they move here? Why do you love it?
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something nice about your city.

Taxation

Personal taxation

Effective income tax rate

14%
For annual salary of $40000
20%
For annual salary of $80000

Value added tax (VAT)

9%
Standard tax rate. Different rates might apply for certain product categories.

Compared to other cities

155/266

Corporate taxation

Compared to other cities

113/263
See more details on taxation in Boulder
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Visa

For visits up to 90 days

Required with citizenship of
Get more information about visas in Boulder here

Explore Boulder’s neighborhoods

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Great for

  • Childcare
  • Clean & Green
  • Cost of Living
  • Gym & Fitness
  • Internet Access

Not Great for

    Who lives here

    • Professionals
    • Singles
    • Families with kids
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    People in Boulder

    Population of Boulder

    129,600
    517 /km²
    189/264
    Density (people per unit of area)
    2%
    Growth in 2015-2020
    Boulder

    Demographics of United States

    Median age
    38
    Elderly people
    15%
    Life expectancy at birth
    80
    GDP per capita (in USD)
    $54,597
    12/263
    Unemployment
    5%
    110/264

    Languages

    English proficiency score
    100
    1/228
    Common spoken languages
    English

    Friends living in Boulder

    Find out which of your friends are living in Boulder. Nothing is better than knowing a local 😉

    Teleport Users  X  Boulder

    Teleport users who are      Boulder

    Work in:

    Software Engineer
    12.03%
    Founder
    4.75%
    Web Developer
    3.96%
    Marketing Manager
    3.80%
    Project Manager
    3.64%
    Systems Administrator
    3.32%
    Product Manager
    3.01%
    Other
    65.51%

    Come from:

    Climate

    Average number of days per year without rain

    324

    Climate type

    Tropical and Subtropical Steppe

    Average daily maximum temperature

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    On living in Boulder

    Boulder, Colorado is a city located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is a college town with a reputation for progressive values, enjoying the great outdoors and thus a very pleasant place to live and visit.

    These days, Boulder wears several hats: as a university town, home of the University of Colorado at Boulder and others; as a hi-tech town that is rapidly spawning bedroom communities in outlying farm towns; and as a center of alternate culture, with various new age institutions, Naropa University, meditation centers, Buddhist centers, and the like. What perhaps distinguishes it most from other cities of similar size in the United States, however, is its status as a mecca for serious athletes, many of whom have made their home here for the conditioning advantages of high altitude, combined with businesses, facilities, and a community that provides opportunities for serious training and competition. Even the average nine-to-five Boulderite is much more likely than the average American to be a serious climber, cyclist, runner, skier, etc., and you will see the difference as you're about town.

    Boulder is situated in the Front Range region of Colorado and is virtually adjacent to Denver, except for its buffer of Open Space Parks which border the city and provide it shelter from its growing surroundings. This reflects that it is the "front door" to the mountainous country to the west, with many outdoor attractions, including a medium-sized ski resort less than an hour from the city limits, and also the fact that there are significant cultural differences between Boulder and Denver beyond its liberal politics.

    Read more

    Good Country Index

    Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.

    Overall ranking

    United States
    23rd from a total of 163 countries

    World Order

    26th

    Refugees hosted

    Refugees generated

    Charity giving

    Birth rate

    UN Treaties signed

    International Peace & Security

    66th

    Dues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets

    International violent conflict

    Peacekeeping troops

    Arms exports

    Internet security (2014)

    Planet & Climate

    34th

    Ecological footprint

    Reforestation since 1992

    Hazardous pesticides exports

    CO2 emissions

    Ozone

    Prosperity & Equality

    46th

    Development assistance

    FDI outflows

    Fairtrade market size

    UN volunteers abroad

    Open trading

    Culture

    53rd

    Freedom of movement

    Press freedom

    Creative services exports

    UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution

    Creative goods exports

    Science & Technology

    20th

    Nobel prizes

    Patents

    Journal exports

    International publications

    International Students

    Health & Wellbeing

    12th

    Pharmaceutical exports

    Voluntary excess donations to the WHO

    Food aid

    Humanitarian aid donations

    International Health Regulations Compliance

    See details ▽

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