Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. Tennessee Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 45.7% more expensive than Tennessee.
- Restaurants
-
pay 16.9% more in Boston
- Groceries
-
pay 39.5% more in Boston
- Transportation
-
pay 34.8% more in Boston
- Housing
-
pay 62.1% more in Boston
- Childcare
-
pay 98.1% more in Boston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 51.3% more in Boston
- Clothing
-
pay 16.9% more in Boston
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, transportation, and restaurants in Boston are more expensive than in Tennessee. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Boston.
Boston vs. Tennessee Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of Tennessee, you would:
pay 16.9% more for restaurants
|
Tennessee
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.38
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.61
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.84
|
$2.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.04
|
$2.40
|
|
Tennessee vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 39.5% more for groceries
|
Tennessee
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.09
|
$4.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.60
|
$8.92
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.94
|
$4.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.02
|
$4.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.26
|
$6.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.81
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.68
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$3.61
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.55
|
$1.81
|
|
Tennessee vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 34.8% more for transportation
|
Tennessee
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.85
|
$3.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$43.19
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,576.40
|
$34,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
|
$16.52
|
|
Tennessee vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 62.1% more for housing
|
Tennessee
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.00
|
$77.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,440.17
|
$3,451.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,280.54
|
$2,596.36
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$166.18
|
$153.30
|
|
Tennessee vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 98.1% more for childcare
|
Tennessee
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,018.45
|
$2,793.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,585.44
|
$27,500.00
|
|
Tennessee vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 51.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Tennessee
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.33
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.22
|
$5.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.78
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.70
|
$88.48
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.08
|
$15.00
|
|
Tennessee vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 16.9% more for clothing
|
Tennessee
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.54
|
$69.87
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.28
|
$43.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.58
|
$107.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.74
|
$152.08
|
|
Tennessee 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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