Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. Michigan Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 55.2% more expensive than Michigan.
- Restaurants
-
pay 29.4% more in Boston
- Groceries
-
pay 47.8% more in Boston
- Transportation
-
pay 25.4% more in Boston
- Housing
-
pay 89.5% more in Boston
- Childcare
-
pay 98.7% more in Boston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 54.8% more in Boston
- Clothing
-
pay 41.1% more in Boston
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, clothing, and restaurants in Boston are more expensive than in Michigan. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Boston.
Boston vs. Michigan Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of Michigan, you would:
pay 29.4% more for restaurants
|
Michigan
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.26
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.06
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.43
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.77
|
$2.40
|
|
Michigan vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 47.8% more for groceries
|
Michigan
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.02
|
$4.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.45
|
$8.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.20
|
$4.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.00
|
$4.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.68
|
$6.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.32
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.03
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$3.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$1.81
|
|
Michigan vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 25.4% more for transportation
|
Michigan
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.28
|
$3.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.54
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,599.47
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.29
|
$16.52
|
|
Michigan vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 89.5% more for housing
|
Michigan
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.76
|
$77.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,257.26
|
$3,451.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,053.74
|
$2,596.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$136.74
|
$153.30
|
|
Michigan vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 98.7% more for childcare
|
Michigan
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,153.90
|
$2,793.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$17,706.02
|
$27,500.00
|
|
Michigan vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 54.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Michigan
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.77
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.65
|
$5.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.12
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.31
|
$88.48
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.16
|
$15.00
|
|
Michigan vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 41.1% more for clothing
|
Michigan
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$48.69
|
$69.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.31
|
$43.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.56
|
$107.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.99
|
$152.08
|
|
Michigan vs. Boston - 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
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