Cost of Living in Boston, MA
Cost of living in Boston is driven mostly by housing, taxes, and transportation. Use the calculator below to estimate how your take-home pay and housing costs might change.
Assumptions updated: March 2026
Explore All ToolsSnapshot for Boston
StateMA
Average Rent$3,000 / month
Median Home Price$780,000
Est. mortgage: $4,151/mo
Property Tax1.11%
Salary guidance (rent ≈ $3,000/mo)
Tighter$102,857
Target$120,000
Comfort$128,571
Rule of thumb: rent is ~28–35% of gross income.
Income & Location
Income impact
+$427Higher
Rent Inputs
Estimated Living Costs
Groceries: $600
Utilities: $250
Transportation: $286
Healthcare: $200
Estimated costs adjust automatically based on the selected city.
Results
Assumptions updated: March 2026 · Planning estimates only
Current city: New York City
Target city: Boston
Net monthly (current): $7,677
Net monthly (target): $8,104
Gross monthly: $12,500.00
Est. taxes (current): $4,823.21 (38.6%)
Est. taxes (target): $4,396.42 (35.2%)
Includes supported local city income tax where applicable.
Monthly housing (rent)
Total (rent + renter’s ins + parking): $2,370.00
Housing % of net (target): 29.2%
Results are estimates only. No information entered is stored or shared.
Tax estimates include federal income tax, FICA, state income tax, and supported local city income taxes where applicable.
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Monthly Flexibility
$5,733.58
After housing
This is what you have left each month in Boston after housing costs.
Higher flexibility gives you more room for saving, investing, and unexpected expenses.
COMPARABLE SALARY
$147,800
Boston is roughly 1% less expensive than New York City.
Based on housing, transportation, and essential cost weighting.
Comfort Score™
🟡 · Manageable
Target housing
Doable, but watch recurring costs and lifestyle creep.
Based on how much of your target net monthly income goes toward housing.
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How Boston compares (rent)
New York City vs Boston~43% cheaper rent →Austin vs Boston~43% higher rent →Miami vs Boston~15% higher rent →
Based on the starter rent estimates in your dataset. Real listings can vary by neighborhood and timing.
Assumptions updated: March 2026