Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 55.2% more expensive than North Carolina.
Boston vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 39.2% more for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.13
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.72
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.89
|
$2.27
|
|
North Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 23.7% more for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.91
|
$4.49
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.07
|
$7.82
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.68
|
$4.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$6.09
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.37
|
$6.71
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.40
|
$3.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.80
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$2.48
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.33
|
$3.43
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.50
|
$2.01
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.79
|
$1.85
|
|
North Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 19.4% more for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.48
|
$4.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$58.44
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,285.88
|
$36,584.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.96
|
$16.60
|
|
North Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 2.1 times more for housing
|
North Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.72
|
$86.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,476.83
|
$3,347.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,144.24
|
$2,653.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$131.34
|
$186.11
|
|
North Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 97.4% more for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,224.94
|
$2,900.09
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$21,882.53
|
$36,004.38
|
|
North Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 34.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.39
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.21
|
$5.26
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.25
|
$12.54
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.42
|
$85.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.30
|
$16.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 41.8% more for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.53
|
$76.37
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.74
|
$52.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.04
|
$118.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.84
|
$167.81
|
|
North Carolina vs. Boston - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
Change currency:
Compare further: North Carolina vs. Boston
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 North Carolina. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.