City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Boston | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,981/mo | $1,714/mo | 15.6% higher in A |
| Median home value | $684,900 | $732,100 | 6.4% lower in A |
| Median household income | $89,212 | $76,607 | 16.5% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.8 | 103.2 | 1.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 133.1 | 147.4 | 9.7% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 88.4 | 100.7 | 12.2% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 134.4 | 99.9 | 34.5% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Boston, you'd need $86,520 in New York to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New York, NY is about 13.5% cheaper overall than Boston, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 13% lower in New York than in Boston. If you earn $80,000 in Boston, you'd need about $69,216 in New York to keep the same standard of living.