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CityLedger

Boulder vs Durham

Metro-area medians — Boulder, CO Metro Area vs Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Boulder comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 10 clearly-decided measures.

Durham is about 8% cheaper to live in, while Boulder households earn about 23% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Boulder.

Their widest everyday difference: Durham has the tighter job market — 3.2% unemployment versus 4.6%.

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.

Boulder, CO
$58,707
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$55,804
real value after local prices
Durham, NC
$58,668
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$60,128
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Durham leaves you about $4,324/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
Boulder
Durham
Livability (CityLedger)
83/100
70/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
105.2
97.6
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$97,619
$85,621
Median household income
$102,697
$83,542
Median rent
$1,966/mo
$1,598/mo
Median home value
$783,000
$441,300
Unemployment
4.6%
3.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher
66.5%
54.7%
Average commute
21.5 min
24.4 min
Air quality (median AQI)
49
51
Avg temperature
35°F
59°F

Choose Boulder for

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

Choose Durham for

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

More comparisons

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

Boulder vs Fort Collins→Boulder vs Ann Arbor→Boulder vs Charlottesville→Durham vs Madison→Durham vs Fort Collins→Durham vs Ann Arbor→

Boulder vs Durham — frequently asked

Is Boulder cheaper than Durham?
Durham is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 8% below Boulder's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Boulder or Durham?
Boulder has the higher median household income — $102,697 versus $83,542 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 23% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Boulder or Durham?
A paycheck stretches further in Boulder. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $97,619 there versus $85,621 in Durham.
Which has cheaper rent, Boulder or Durham?
Durham has cheaper rent — a median of $1,598/mo versus $1,966/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).