✦ Compare
Boston vs
New York
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Boston, MA vs New York, NY at a glance — New York, NY is 1% more expensive than Boston, MA overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $3,800/mo versus $3,000/mo. The top national income-tax rate is 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in New York, NY, you'd need
$75,868 / year
New York, NY is 1% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (New York, NY vs Boston, MA)
- Housing+12%
- Food & groceries-4%
- Transport-2%
- Utilities-17%
- Healthcare-21%
- Goods & services-2%
◎ How Boston, MA and New York, NY compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Boston, MA | New York, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 111 | 113 |
| Housing | 152 | 170 |
| Food | 90 | 86 |
| Transport | 91 | 89 |
| Utilities | 95 | 79 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 77 |
| Goods & services | 96 | 94 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $3,000/mo | $3,800/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $2,300/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $5,500/mo | $7,500/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $11,000 | $15,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $897 | $887 |
| Inexpensive meal | $22 | $25 |
| Monthly transit pass | $90 | $132 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 37% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 0% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | 7.7% |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 21% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $4,300/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | $1,257/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $90,027✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 80 | 200 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 | UTC-5 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 73 | 69 |
| Safety index | 62 | 55 |
| Healthcare index | 85 | 78 |
| Pollution index | 35 | 55 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 83 | 90 |
| Public transport | 75 | 85 |
| Family-friendly | 65 | 55 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $460/mo | $500/mo |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 79 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -1 °C | 0 °C |
| July avg | +23 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 234 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,100 mm | 1,200 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs United States. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Boston vs New York — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Boston
Historic, walkable and a global university and biotech hub — winters are long and rents are steep.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 62/100
- Climate
- ❄ -1°C · ☀ 23°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Back Bay · Cambridge · South End
Good to know before you move to New York
The benchmark against which everywhere else feels cheap. World-class salaries and everything else, offset by the highest rents in the dataset.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 0°C · ☀ 25°C · 234 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Manhattan · Brooklyn · Queens
Plan your move to Boston
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to New York
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Boston to New York: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Boston to New York, your cost of living will be roughly 1% more expensive. New York’s cost-of-living index is 113 versus 111 for Boston (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Boston cheaper than New York?
New York is about 1% more expensive than Boston overall — its cost-of-living index is 113 versus 111 for Boston.
Which is more expensive, Boston or New York?
New York is more expensive than Boston. Its cost-of-living index is 113 vs 111 (US = 100) — about 2% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Boston or New York?
Rent is cheaper in Boston — about $3,000/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $3,800 in New York.
How much do you need to earn in New York to live like in Boston?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Boston is worth about $75,868 in New York. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Boston or New York?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (37%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Boston
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.