Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Boston Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 24.0% more expensive than Boston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.2% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 6.6% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 22.4% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 60.6% more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 38.9% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 7.3% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, restaurants, clothing, and groceries in New York City are more expensive than in Boston.
New York City vs. Boston Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Boston, you would:
pay 8.2% more for restaurants
|
Boston
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.87
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.40
|
$2.61
|
|
Boston vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.6% more for groceries
|
Boston
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.16
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.92
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.80
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.93
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.15
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.70
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.83
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.61
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$1.78
|
|
Boston vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 22.4% more for transportation
|
Boston
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.46
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,000.00
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.52
|
$22.39
|
|
Boston vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay (unknown) more for housing
|
Boston
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$77.28
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,451.79
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,596.36
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.30
|
$151.98
|
Boston vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 60.6% more for childcare
|
Boston
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,793.33
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,500.00
|
$57,250.00
|
|
Boston vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 38.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Boston
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.36
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.00
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$88.48
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$20.00
|
|
Boston vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.3% more for clothing
|
Boston
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$69.87
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.75
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$107.71
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$152.08
|
$168.76
|
|
Boston vs. New York City - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New York City or Boston. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.