2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Boulder, CO vs Vail, CO

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Vail or is it cheaper to live in Boulder?
- Vail is 8.6% more expensive than Boulder.

Which city has more affordable housing, Vail or Boulder?
- Vail housing costs are 21.7% more expensive than Boulder housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Boulder or is Health Care more affordable in Vail.
- Health related expenses are 3.7% less in Vail.
 Boulder, COVail, COUnited States
 Overall  Unlock153.5100
 Food & Groceries106.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock82.3100
 Housing322.6  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,530,400$338,100
 Utilities93  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock82.9100
 Miscellaneous154.4  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Boulder    55 Reviews

Outside of the university, Boulder had a very distinctive "wealthy hippy" feel. A lot of alternative medicine and a matching ethos. This is changing some among my  More

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We moved here from Texas about 4 years ago and love it here! The amazing sense of community and high regard for the environment are two of the main reasons we love  More

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Over 5 years ago

Most people do much worse than Boulder. I'm the most critical person I've ever met who is never happy or satisfied -- so that's a pretty huge compliment.   More

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Reviews for Vail    5 Reviews

Over 18 years ago

Vail..pros/ cons Pros 1. beautiful town 2. very low crime Cons 1. Ungodly expensive and that's an understatement 2. unless you are rich and beautiful, this isn't  More

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Over 19 years ago

Vail is beautiful year round. Fabulous skiing, hiking, fishing, shopping, restaurants, etc. However, the price you pay to live in a resort town is extremely high cost  More

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Over 20 years ago

Vail is very different that other areas of the U.S. I have lived in Seattle, Los Angeles, Orange County, Austin TX, Monterey CA... and it is another world here. World  More

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