Salary comparison
Retail Salespersons: Boulder vs Santa Cruz
Boulder, CO pays about 0.2% more for retail salespersons on paper — $38,700 vs $38,620. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Boulder comes out ahead by $80 a year in real buying power.
Boulder, CO
$38,700
$36,530
$44,870
$18.61
100
$38,700/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Cruz, CA
$38,620
$36,670
$45,430
$18.57
100
$38,620/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $80 a year (0.2%) 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; Santa Cruz sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Boulder is the better deal by $80 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Santa Cruz to Boulder for this role, the raise needs to beat 0.2% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do retail salespersons earn more, Boulder or Santa Cruz?
Boulder pays $38,700 on median — about 0.2% more than Santa Cruz ($38,620). 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$38,700 of real buying power versus $38,620 in the other city.