2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Boulder, CO vs Lake Forest, IL

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Lake Forest or is it cheaper to live in Boulder?
- Lake Forest is 31.4% less expensive than Boulder.

Which city has more affordable housing, Lake Forest or Boulder?
- Lake Forest housing costs are 11.5% less expensive than Boulder housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Boulder or is Health Care more affordable in Lake Forest.
- Health related expenses are 12.6% more in Lake Forest.
 Boulder, COLake Forest, ILUnited States
 Overall  Unlock97.0100
 Food & Groceries106.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock96.3100
 Housing322.6  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$898,600$338,100
 Utilities93  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock93.7100
 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 Lake Forest    4 Reviews

We relocated cross county to Lake Forest about a year ago due to a job change. We looked at nearby communities, within proximity of the work commute (the office is in  More

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Be prepared for a so called upscale town with entitled, overpaid, snooty people from teenagers who sneer at you to adults who look you up and down, who make demands on a  More

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Over 15 years ago

Long cold winters, short cold springs, hot humid summers, nice  More

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