Cost of living in Burlington, VT
The Burlington-South Burlington, VT metro area (229,550 people) ranks #54 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
Hover over or tap a dot to see its value.
See all 149 cities
Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Burlington with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Burlington to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Boston, MA, 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 Burlington: $109,300
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $109,300 in Burlington, VT to match $120,000 in Boston, MA ($10,700 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses Massachusetts and Vermont state income tax; neither city levies a resident income tax.
See the full Massachusetts to Vermont report
There is no city-to-city report for this move. The state report compares taxes, housing and moving costs.
What things cost in Burlington
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Burlington
On a $90,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $68,665 after 2026 federal tax ($10,970), Social Security and Medicare ($6,885) and Vermont income tax ($3,480).
Housing
| Measure | Burlington area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,631/mo |
| Median home value | $438,100 |
| Median property tax | $5,880/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,901 |
| Median household income | $89,615 |
Climate and jobs in Burlington
In the Burlington area the average January low is 13°F and the average July high 82°F, and the area has about 8 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 2.4% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $60,020 a year, 18% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 13°F |
| July high | 82°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 8 a year |
| Precipitation | 38 in a year |
| Snowfall | 88 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 2.4% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $60,020 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 120,150 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Burlington International Airport station (USW00014742). 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 Burlington
A single retiree spends about $3,406 a month here if they own their home outright, or $4,244 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 Burlington
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Burlington area about average for natural hazard risk (score 54.2 of 100), with expected losses of about $254 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Vermont.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Burlington?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $79,800 in Burlington. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $65,240, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $124,325.
Is Burlington expensive?
The Burlington metro area's price level is 100.9 (U.S. = 100), #54 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 103.8, 4% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Burlington?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Burlington had a net loss of about 3 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Burlington?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Burlington area (Burlington International Airport weather station), the average January low is 13°F and the average July high 82°F. The area has about 8 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 38 inches of precipitation a year and about 88 inches of snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Burlington?
The Burlington metro area's unemployment rate averaged 2.4% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $60,020 a year in May 2025, 18% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Burlington?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area about average overall (score 54.2). The highest relative risks are winter weather, lightning, ice storm.
Cities with similar prices
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Moving from Vermont