Overall
Diff -1.1 RPP
Boulder vs Modesto
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Modesto is 1% less expensive than Boulder.
1% less expensive
Modesto, CA is 1% less expensive than Boulder, CO on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 104.1 vs 105.2). A $100,000 salary in Boulder buys about the same as $98,960 in Modesto; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 105.2 (Boulder) vs 104.1 (Modesto)
- $100k in Boulder ≈ $98,960 purchasing power in Modesto
- Services drives the gap (+69.5 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CO:CA 105.2→104.1
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE CO × CA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Boulder
105.2
Cost Index
Modesto
104.1
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Boulder, CO and Modesto, CA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Modesto is 69.5 points higher. But services and goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Boulder to $98,960 in Modesto, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
Diff +9.1 RPP
Services
Diff +69.5 RPP
Rents
Diff -48.5 RPP
| Category | Boulder | Modesto | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 105.2 | 104.1 | -1.1 |
| Goods | 96.1 | 105.2 | +9.1 |
| Services | 82.7 | 152.3 | +69.5 |
| Rents | 157.0 | 108.5 | -48.5 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Boulder 105.2
Modesto 104.1
Goods
Boulder 96.1
Modesto 105.2
Services
Boulder 82.7
Modesto 152.3
Rents
Boulder 157.0
Modesto 108.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Boulder would need to be in Modesto for the same purchasing power:
| In Boulder | In Modesto | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,480 | $-520 |
| $75,000 | $74,220 | $-780 |
| $100,000 | $98,960 | $-1,040 |
| $150,000 | $148,440 | $-1,560 |
$ in Boulder = in Modesto
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (105.2 → 104.1), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Modesto more expensive than Boulder?
Modesto is 1% less expensive than Boulder. The overall cost index is 104.1 vs 105.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Modesto equals $100K in Boulder?
A $100,000 salary in Boulder has the same purchasing power as $98,960 in Modesto. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Boulder and Modesto?
Rents in Boulder are indexed at 157.0 while Modesto is at 108.5 (national average = 100). Boulder has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.