2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Boulder, CO vs Bethesda, MD

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Bethesda or is it cheaper to live in Boulder?
- Bethesda is 2.0% less expensive than Boulder.

Which city has more affordable housing, Bethesda or Boulder?
- Bethesda housing costs are 11.7% more expensive than Boulder housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Boulder or is Health Care more affordable in Bethesda.
- Health related expenses are 1.5% more in Bethesda.
 Boulder, COBethesda, MDUnited States
 Overall  Unlock138.5100
 Food & Groceries106.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock86.8100
 Housing322.6  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$1,072,100$338,100
 Utilities93  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock128.8100
 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 Bethesda    12 Reviews

Bethesda is awesome if you want to live near DC and in a relatively safe city that has few parking issues. Montgomery county has parking lots in downtown Bethesda and  More

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Amenities are plentiful, but costs continue to rise as do local and state taxes. Overall not a friendly place to  More

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Essentially an upscale suburb of Washington DC. Public transport is easy, there's plenty to do (though with none of the edginess of living closer in DC) and it's minutes  More

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