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CityLedger

Amherst Town vs Boulder

Metro-area medians — Amherst Town-Northampton, MA Metro Area vs Boulder, CO Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Boulder comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Amherst Town is about 5% cheaper to live in, while Boulder households earn about 26% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Boulder.

Their widest everyday difference: Boulder is more educated — 66.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree versus 54.6%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Amherst Town, MA
$57,564
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$57,424
real value after local prices
Boulder, CO
$58,707
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$55,804
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Amherst Town leaves you about $1,620/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Amherst Town
Boulder
Livability (CityLedger)
62/100
83/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
100.2
105.2
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$81,534
$97,619
Median household income
$81,732
$102,697
Median rent
$1,425/mo
$1,966/mo
Median home value
$413,400
$783,000
Unemployment
4%
4.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
54.6%
66.5%
Average commute
22.6 min
21.5 min
Air quality (median AQI)
—
49
Avg temperature
49°F
35°F

Choose Amherst Town for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
Full Amherst Town profile →

Choose Boulder for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Average commute
Full Boulder profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Amherst Town and Boulder on cost, income, size, and education.

Amherst Town vs Burlington→Amherst Town vs Charlottesville→Amherst Town vs State College→Boulder vs Fort Collins→Boulder vs Ann Arbor→Boulder vs Charlottesville→

Amherst Town vs Boulder — frequently asked

Is Amherst Town cheaper than Boulder?
Amherst Town is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 5% below Boulder's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Amherst Town or Boulder?
Boulder has the higher median household income — $102,697 versus $81,732 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 26% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Amherst Town or Boulder?
A paycheck stretches further in Boulder. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $97,619 there versus $81,534 in Amherst Town.
Which has cheaper rent, Amherst Town or Boulder?
Amherst Town has cheaper rent — a median of $1,425/mo versus $1,966/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).