Moving to Massachusetts from Canada
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Canada to Massachusetts — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Canada to Massachusetts, you would find that Massachusetts is 41.7% more expensive than Canada overall. A CA$106,234 salary in Canada would need to be roughly $90,806 in Massachusetts to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Canada to Massachusetts.
What does your salary buy?
CA$106,234 → $90,806
To maintain the same standard of living in Massachusetts
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 26.1% more
Groceries
pay 21.9% more
Transportation
pay 5.0% more
Housing
pay 51.9% more
Childcare
pay 2.6 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 28.4% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Massachusetts cost about 46% more than cities in Canada.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Canada to Massachusetts, based on official data.
people moved from Canada to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
13.793,897
Canada
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Canada to Massachusetts.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Canada across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Canada performs better than Massachusetts across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Massachusetts generally does better on employment & economy, though Canada leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Canada performs better than Massachusetts across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Ottawa | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 27°/10°F (-3°/-12°C) | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/45°F (18°/7°C) | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 75°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 41°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Ottawa | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21°/4°F (-6.1°/-15.3°C) | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) |
| Feb | 25°/8°F (-4.1°/-13.3°C) | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) |
| Mar | 36°/19°F (2.2°/-7.1°C) | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) |
| Apr | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.6°C) | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) |
| May | 66°/46°F (19.1°/7.7°C) | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) |
| Jun | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.7°C) | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 80°/60°F (26.5°/15.4°C) | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 77°/57°F (24.9°/14.1°C) | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) |
| Sep | 67°/48°F (19.5°/9.1°C) | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) |
| Oct | 54°/37°F (12.5°/3.0°C) | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 41°/27°F (4.8°/-2.8°C) | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) |
| Dec | 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.1°C) | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) |
Data:
Meteorological Service of Canada,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Canada and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Canada passport holder visiting United States
Visa Free
United States passport holder visiting Canada
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts than Canada?
No — Massachusetts is on average about 21% more expensive than Canada. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Massachusetts?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $22,702 in Massachusetts on a CA$106,234 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Massachusetts?
Usually fine from major cities in Massachusetts. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in Massachusetts compared to Canada?
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Canada across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Massachusetts compared to Canada?
The average high temperature in Boston is 59°F, compared to 52°F in Ottawa. Boston receives around 43.8 in of rainfall per year, while Ottawa gets 37.1 in.
What language do they speak in Massachusetts?
The official language in Massachusetts is English. In Canada, the official languages are English and French.
