Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. Minnesota Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 40.3% more expensive than Minnesota.
- Restaurants
-
pay 19.6% more in Boston
- Groceries
-
pay 32.3% more in Boston
- Transportation
-
pay 11.7% more in Boston
- Housing
-
pay 87.6% more in Boston
- Childcare
-
pay 71.6% more in Boston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 27.5% more in Boston
- Clothing
-
pay 31.8% more in Boston
The cost of housing, childcare, groceries, clothing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Boston are more expensive than in Minnesota. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Boston.
Boston vs. Minnesota Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of Minnesota, you would:
pay 19.6% more for restaurants
|
Minnesota
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.17
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.25
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.48
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.02
|
$2.40
|
|
Minnesota vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 32.3% more for groceries
|
Minnesota
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.28
|
$4.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.34
|
$8.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.66
|
$4.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.64
|
$4.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.61
|
$6.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.28
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.69
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.48
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$3.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.65
|
$1.81
|
|
Minnesota vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 11.7% more for transportation
|
Minnesota
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.15
|
$3.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,149.01
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.56
|
$16.52
|
|
Minnesota vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 87.6% more for housing
|
Minnesota
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$67.48
|
$77.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,182.19
|
$3,451.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,123.71
|
$2,596.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$135.87
|
$153.30
|
|
Minnesota vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 71.6% more for childcare
|
Minnesota
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,260.39
|
$2,793.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,591.00
|
$27,500.00
|
|
Minnesota vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 27.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Minnesota
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.52
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.01
|
$5.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.69
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.95
|
$88.48
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.88
|
$15.00
|
|
Minnesota vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.8% more for clothing
|
Minnesota
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.07
|
$69.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.44
|
$43.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$77.05
|
$107.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$95.44
|
$152.08
|
|
Minnesota 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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