Moving to Washington from Massachusetts
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Massachusetts to Washington — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Massachusetts to Washington, you would find that Washington is 3.4% cheaper than Massachusetts. A $75,000 salary in Massachusetts would need to be roughly $68,494 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Massachusetts to Washington.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $68,494
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.4% less
Groceries
pay 2.6% less
Transportation
pay 9.3% more
Housing
pay 12.0% less
Childcare
pay 10.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.2% less
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 Washington cost about 7% less than cities in Massachusetts.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Massachusetts and Washington stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts performs better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Massachusetts generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Washington leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Washington performs significantly better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Washington performs significantly 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
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Massachusetts generally does better on employment & economy, though Washington leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Massachusetts generally does better on family life, though Washington leads in life expectancy.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Boston | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boston | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) |
| Feb | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) |
| May | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) |
| Jun | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jul | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) |
| Aug | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) |
| Sep | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) |
| Oct | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Washington than Massachusetts?
Generally yes: Washington runs about 9% cheaper than Massachusetts on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $17,124 in Washington for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Washington safe?
Massachusetts performs better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Washington leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to Massachusetts?
The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 59°F in Boston. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Boston gets 43.8 in.
