Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 21.6% more expensive than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.7% more in Boston
- Groceries
-
pay 20.1% more in Boston
- Transportation
-
pay 4.6% less in Boston
- Housing
-
pay 44.4% more in Boston
- Childcare
-
pay 33.1% more in Boston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 15.8% more in Boston
- Clothing
-
pay 24.6% more in Boston
The cost of housing, childcare, clothing, groceries, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Boston are more expensive than in New York.
Boston vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of New York, you would:
pay 17.7% more for restaurants
|
New York
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$2.40
|
|
New York vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.1% more for groceries
|
New York
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$4.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$8.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$4.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$4.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
$6.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$3.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.81
|
|
New York vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 4.6% less for transportation
|
New York
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$3.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
$16.52
|
|
New York vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 44.4% more for housing
|
New York
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
$77.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$3,451.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$2,596.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
$153.30
|
|
New York vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 33.1% more for childcare
|
New York
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
$2,793.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
$27,500.00
|
|
New York vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 15.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$5.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
$88.48
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$15.00
|
|
New York vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 24.6% more for clothing
|
New York
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
$69.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
$43.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
$107.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
$152.08
|
|
New York 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
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 Boston or New York. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.