Salary comparison
Office Clerks, General: Boulder vs San Jose
Boulder, CO pays about 1.7% more for office clerks, general on paper — $59,840 vs $58,840. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Boulder comes out ahead by $1,000 a year in real buying power.
Boulder, CO
$59,840
$47,720
$74,340
$28.77
100
$59,840/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
San Jose, CA
$58,840
$47,230
$73,310
$28.29
100
$58,840/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $1,000 a year (1.7%) in favor of Boulder. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Boulder runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; San Jose sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Boulder is the better deal by $1,000 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from San Jose to Boulder for this role, the raise needs to beat 1.7% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do office clerks, general earn more, Boulder or San Jose?
Boulder pays $59,840 on median — about 1.7% more than San Jose ($58,840). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Boulder. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Boulder gives you roughly$59,840 of real buying power versus $58,840 in the other city.