Cost of Living
per year
per month
How New Bedford's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in New Bedford?
Your $100,000 in New Bedford has the same purchasing power as $95,293 in the average US city. You'd need $4,707 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of New Bedford's cost index of 105, sorted by closest match.
People moving to New Bedford usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: on the calmer side of the national distribution, daily errands don't require a car, plus 1 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
New Bedford reports about 2,199 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
New Bedford earns a Walk Score of 79/100 — above the US median, with denser neighborhoods scoring higher than the citywide aggregate suggests. A car is still useful for longer trips, but everyday life works on foot for a lot of residents.
New Bedford's air quality index averages about 32 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
Reasons are pulled from New Bedford's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Snow is a regular feature, not a surprise. With winter temperatures hovering near 26°F, New Bedford sees enough snowfall that locals don't think twice about it but also enough mild stretches that nobody owns three pairs of boots.
Cold but workable. Winter in New Bedford averages about 26°F — colder than the national norm, mild compared to the upper Midwest. A solid coat handles most days; the genuine cold snaps are short.
Pleasantly warm. New Bedford's summer averages around 80°F — comfortable for outdoor evenings, hot enough on peak days to warrant AC but mild compared to the Sun Belt.
Zone 8, give or take a half-zone. New Bedford's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 8 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
New Bedford sits at about 72 feet (22 m) above sea level — low-lying, but with enough cushion that day-to-day life isn't affected by ocean levels.
Atlantic basin storms can form from June 1 to November 30, but the serious ones cluster in August, September, and the first half of October. Residents of New Bedford learn the season's rhythm fast: watch the cone, board up when it's the call, and don't shrug off the slow-mover storms — those are usually the ones that flood.
Average for an American city. New Bedford's reported crime rate of about 2,199 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Roughly average. New Bedford's cost-of-living index is 105, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Yes — New Bedford is one of the more walkable US cities. A Walk Score of 79/100 means most daily errands can be done on foot in most neighborhoods. Transit Score is 36 out of 100. Many residents go car-free comfortably.
Roughly $73,458 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in New Bedford runs about $1,026/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.