RelocateMath
City cost of living 2026

Cost of living in Boston, MA

The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (5,025,517 people) ranks #15 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.

By Data reviewed Data: Census ACS, BEA, BLS, NOAA, IRS, FEMA (methodology)

New York, NY: price level 112.6Los Angeles, CA: price level 113.6Chicago, IL: price level 103.6Dallas, TX: price level 103.1Houston, TX: price level 98.6Miami, FL: price level 114.2Washington, D.C.: price level 108.9Atlanta, GA: price level 100.1Philadelphia, PA: price level 102.6Phoenix, AZ: price level 103.3Boston, MA: price level 108.3Riverside, CA: price level 106.4San Francisco, CA: price level 115.6Detroit, MI: price level 100.3Seattle, WA: price level 111.1Minneapolis, MN: price level 104.8Tampa, FL: price level 100.9San Diego, CA: price level 111.9Denver, CO: price level 105.8Orlando, FL: price level 101.4Charlotte, NC: price level 97.3Baltimore, MD: price level 104.5St. Louis, MO: price level 95.1San Antonio, TX: price level 94.7Austin, TX: price level 98.1Portland, OR: price level 105.4Sacramento, CA: price level 106.7Pittsburgh, PA: price level 94.7Las Vegas, NV: price level 100.2Cincinnati, OH: price level 95.4Kansas City, MO: price level 92.5Columbus, OH: price level 95.5Indianapolis, IN: price level 95.7Cleveland, OH: price level 93.9Nashville, TN: price level 96.3San Jose, CA: price level 110.4Virginia Beach, VA: price level 97.9Jacksonville, FL: price level 99.5Providence, RI: price level 101.8Milwaukee, WI: price level 96.9Raleigh, NC: price level 98.2Oklahoma City, OK: price level 90.4Louisville, KY: price level 93.1Richmond, VA: price level 97.9Memphis, TN: price level 92.2Salt Lake City, UT: price level 100.9Birmingham, AL: price level 91.6Fresno, CA: price level 102.2Grand Rapids, MI: price level 95.5Hartford, CT: price level 102.7Buffalo, NY: price level 95.8Tucson, AZ: price level 96.9Tulsa, OK: price level 89.2Rochester, NY: price level 97.0Omaha, NE: price level 91.9Honolulu, HI: price level 111.0Greenville, SC: price level 93.3Bridgeport, CT: price level 106.9New Orleans, LA: price level 92.6Knoxville, TN: price level 92.6Sarasota, FL: price level 102.4Albuquerque, NM: price level 95.5Bakersfield, CA: price level 100.9McAllen, TX: price level 85.9Albany, NY: price level 99.6Allentown, PA: price level 100.0Baton Rouge, LA: price level 90.8Worcester, MA: price level 102.5El Paso, TX: price level 89.9Columbia, SC: price level 93.7Charleston, SC: price level 101.0Cape Coral, FL: price level 102.3Lakeland, FL: price level 97.1Boise, ID: price level 98.4Oxnard, CA: price level 110.5Dayton, OH: price level 92.7Stockton, CA: price level 105.1Greensboro, NC: price level 92.9Colorado Springs, CO: price level 100.7Little Rock, AR: price level 89.4Provo, UT: price level 98.2Des Moines, IA: price level 91.7Daytona Beach, FL: price level 99.4Poughkeepsie, NY: price level 109.4Madison, WI: price level 97.3Winston-Salem, NC: price level 92.0Akron, OH: price level 93.4Ogden, UT: price level 100.3Wichita, KS: price level 88.9Palm Bay, FL: price level 100.0Syracuse, NY: price level 95.7Augusta, GA: price level 91.9Durham, NC: price level 97.6Harrisburg, PA: price level 98.7Jackson, MS: price level 89.0Fayetteville, AR: price level 91.4Spokane, WA: price level 100.3Toledo, OH: price level 91.5Chattanooga, TN: price level 91.5New Haven, CT: price level 104.6Reno, NV: price level 101.0Portland, ME: price level 101.9Port St. Lucie, FL: price level 100.2Huntsville, AL: price level 93.1Pensacola, FL: price level 97.7Lexington, KY: price level 92.9Killeen, TX: price level 91.1Springfield, MO: price level 88.6Santa Rosa, CA: price level 107.8Wilmington, NC: price level 96.4Fort Wayne, IN: price level 92.6Vallejo, CA: price level 108.5Santa Barbara, CA: price level 108.8Salinas, CA: price level 109.0Savannah, GA: price level 95.2Manchester, NH: price level 105.7Ocala, FL: price level 95.2Asheville, NC: price level 96.5Naples, FL: price level 103.2Myrtle Beach, SC: price level 93.6Anchorage, AK: price level 105.4Spartanburg, SC: price level 91.1Fayetteville, NC: price level 92.0Trenton, NJ: price level 103.2Eugene, OR: price level 101.6Fort Collins, CO: price level 101.1Ann Arbor, MI: price level 100.9Greeley, CO: price level 100.2Gainesville, FL: price level 96.7Clarksville, TN: price level 90.9Boulder, CO: price level 105.2Columbus, GA: price level 89.3Crestview, FL: price level 97.0Sioux Falls, SD: price level 90.6Olympia, WA: price level 103.7Norwich, CT: price level 100.4Bremerton, WA: price level 105.6Fargo, ND: price level 90.9Bend, OR: price level 103.6Daphne, AL: price level 94.7Prescott, AZ: price level 98.3Hilton Head Island, SC: price level 98.0Burlington, VT: price level 100.9Panama City, FL: price level 97.3Jacksonville, NC: price level 92.1Punta Gorda, FL: price level 100.5Billings, MT: price level 93.5The Villages, FL: price level 85.4Cheyenne, WY: price level 96.5

Hover over or tap a dot to see its value.

Price level of the 149 metros we cover
See all 149 cities

Price level, from cheaper to pricier.

Salary to match $75k
$88,800
vs. an average-priced, no-income-tax area
Median rent
$2,093
per month · need $83,720 income
Median home
$681,100
need about $185,178 to buy

Compare Boston with your city

See what you'd need to earn in Boston to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from New York, NY, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.

Equal salary in Boston: $90,500

Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities

To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $90,500 in Boston, MA to match $100,000 in New York, NY ($9,500 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.

Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses New York and Massachusetts state income tax; includes New York City resident tax $3,441 (inside city limits).

Take-home in New York
$70,467
29.5% total tax
Take-home in Boston
$73,940
26.1% total tax
Prices in Boston
-3.8%
vs New York (BEA 2024)
Renting: change after selected costs
+$237
per year, after taxes, rent and power; excludes food, transport, healthcare, child care and moving costs

See the full New York to Boston report

What things cost in Boston

Price level by category (U.S. = 100)
Above the U.S. average At the U.S. average
Overall108.3
Housing148.4
Goods99.7
Utilities148.8
Other services103.6

The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.

Taxes in Boston

On a $120,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $86,918 after 2026 federal tax ($17,570), Social Security and Medicare ($9,180) and Massachusetts income tax ($5,780), plus $552 in state payroll programs.

Housing

MeasureBoston area
Median rent$2,093/mo
Median home value$681,100
Median property tax$6,913/yr
Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down)$4,321
Median household income$117,825

Climate and jobs in Boston

In the Boston area the average January low is 23°F and the average July high 82°F, and the area has about 14 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 4.2% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $66,620 a year, 31% above the U.S. median.

Climate in the Boston area: NOAA 1991–2020 normals
Climate1991–2020 average
January low23°F
July high82°F
Days 90°F or hotter14 a year
Precipitation44 in a year
Snowfall49 in a year
Jobs and pay in the Boston area compared with the U.S. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Jobs and payMetro areaU.S.
Unemployment rate, 2025 average4.2%4.3%
Median wage, all jobs (May 2025)$66,620$50,980
Wage and salary jobs (May 2025)2.7 million155.5 million

Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Boston Logan International Airport station (USW00014739). Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.

Retiring in Boston

A single retiree spends about $3,688 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,896 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.

Where people move to and from Boston

Leaving Boston for… (households)
Providence9,092
New York8,431
Worcester7,548
Manchester5,234
Portland, ME2,659
Washington, D.C.2,324
Miami2,284
Los Angeles2,105
Moving to Boston from… (households)
New York7,622
Providence6,739
Worcester5,500
Manchester4,002
Washington, D.C.2,045
Portland, ME1,961
Los Angeles1,793
Miami1,786

IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.

Natural hazard risk

FEMA rates the Boston area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 93.2 of 100), with expected losses of about $206 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Massachusetts.

Highest relative risks (national percentile)
Higher risk than most U.S. counties
Riverine flooding95
Earthquake93
Hurricane93
Lightning92
Ice storm92

The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).

Frequently asked questions

What salary do you need to live in Boston?

To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $88,800 in Boston. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $83,720, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $185,178.

Is Boston expensive?

The Boston metro area's price level is 108.3 (U.S. = 100), #15 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 148.4, 48% above the U.S. average.

Are people moving to Boston?

Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Boston had a net loss of about 10,893 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).

What is the weather like in Boston?

In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Boston area (Boston Logan International Airport weather station), the average January low is 23°F and the average July high 82°F. The area has about 14 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 44 inches of precipitation a year and about 49 inches of snow.

What are jobs and pay like in Boston?

The Boston metro area's unemployment rate averaged 4.2% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $66,620 a year in May 2025, 31% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

What natural disasters affect Boston?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 93.2). The highest relative risks are riverine flooding, earthquake, hurricane.

Compare Boston with other cities

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