Cost of living comparison
compared to
Boston vs. Washington Cost of Living Summary
Boston is 33.7% more expensive than Washington.
Boston vs. Washington Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Boston instead of Washington, you would:
pay 15.4% more for restaurants
|
Washington
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$22.26
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.24
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.75
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.18
|
$2.27
|
|
Washington vs. Boston - Cost of restaurants
pay 28.8% more for groceries
|
Washington
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.04
|
$4.49
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.06
|
$7.82
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.15
|
$4.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.91
|
$6.09
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.11
|
$6.71
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.34
|
$3.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.83
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.87
|
$2.48
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.03
|
$3.43
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$2.01
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.85
|
|
Washington vs. Boston - Cost of groceries
pay 1.9% more for transportation
|
Washington
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.99
|
$4.24
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$70.32
|
$90.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,567.40
|
$36,584.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.13
|
$16.60
|
|
Washington vs. Boston - Cost of transportation
pay 62.4% more for housing
|
Washington
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$77.56
|
$86.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,772.00
|
$3,347.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,547.68
|
$2,653.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$175.22
|
$186.11
|
|
Washington vs. Boston - Cost of housing
pay 39.7% more for childcare
|
Washington
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,891.11
|
$2,900.09
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,281.22
|
$36,004.38
|
|
Washington vs. Boston - Cost of childcare
pay 18.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.38
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.43
|
$5.26
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.44
|
$12.54
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.23
|
$85.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.12
|
$16.00
|
|
Washington vs. Boston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 38.3% more for clothing
|
Washington
|
Boston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$54.08
|
$76.37
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.93
|
$52.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.87
|
$118.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.43
|
$167.81
|
|
Washington 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: Washington 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 Washington. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.