Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. Phoenix Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 33.9% more expensive than Phoenix.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.0% more in Boston
- Groceries
-
pay 30.3% more in Boston
- Transportation
-
pay 14.0% more in Boston
- Housing
-
pay 40.6% more in Boston
- Childcare
-
pay 91.7% more in Boston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 31.8% more in Boston
- Clothing
-
pay 21.1% more in Boston
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, clothing, and transportation in Boston are more expensive than in Phoenix. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Boston.
Boston vs. Phoenix Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of Phoenix, you would:
pay 8.0% more for restaurants
|
Phoenix
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.25
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.80
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$2.40
|
|
Phoenix vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 30.3% more for groceries
|
Phoenix
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.20
|
$4.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.38
|
$8.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.40
|
$4.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.10
|
$4.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.93
|
$6.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.06
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.63
|
$3.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.81
|
|
Phoenix vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 14.0% more for transportation
|
Phoenix
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.52
|
$3.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.00
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,113.30
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.94
|
$16.52
|
|
Phoenix vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 40.6% more for housing
|
Phoenix
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$81.88
|
$77.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,682.00
|
$3,451.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,405.24
|
$2,596.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$196.17
|
$153.30
|
|
Phoenix vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 91.7% more for childcare
|
Phoenix
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,271.43
|
$2,793.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,800.00
|
$27,500.00
|
|
Phoenix vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 31.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Phoenix
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.04
|
$5.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.62
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.36
|
$88.48
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.50
|
$15.00
|
|
Phoenix vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.1% more for clothing
|
Phoenix
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.12
|
$69.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.50
|
$43.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.72
|
$107.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.79
|
$152.08
|
|
Phoenix 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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