Moving from Boulder to Grand Junction
Boulder to Grand Junction: $369 less leftover
$2,122/mo leftover in Grand Junction vs $2,491 in Boulder after tax and rent ($369 less). −$4,428 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Boulder leftover
$2,491
a month after tax and rent
Grand Junction leftover
$2,122
−$369 vs Boulder
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 48 households moved Boulder → Grand Junction (about 60 people, average AGI $78,271). 32 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Boulder | Grand Junction |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $5,891 | $5,305 |
| Rent | $1,647 | $1,252 |
| All other costs | $1,753 | $1,931 |
| Left over | $2,491 | $2,122 |
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Boulder and Grand Junction moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 215 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,750–$3,300
- Container or pod
- $1,200–$2,250
- Rent a truck
- $450–$900
Other moves from Boulder
Dig into Grand Junction
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Grand Junction than Boulder?
A one-bedroom is about $1,647 in Boulder versus $1,252 in Grand Junction. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $369 a month lower in Grand Junction. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Grand Junction have state income tax?
Grand Junction is in Colorado, which taxes wage income.
Did people actually move from Boulder to Grand Junction?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Boulder → Grand Junction move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.