Moving to Massachusetts from North Carolina
What to Expect
Considering a move from North Carolina to Massachusetts? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from North Carolina to Massachusetts, you would find that Massachusetts is 17.0% more expensive than North Carolina. A $75,000 salary in North Carolina would need to be roughly $88,577 in Massachusetts to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between North Carolina and Massachusetts.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $88,577
To maintain the same standard of living in Massachusetts
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 18.0% more
Groceries
pay 0.7% more
Transportation
pay 1.6% more
Housing
pay 28.6% more
Childcare
pay 38.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 28.5% 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 23% more than cities in North Carolina.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Massachusetts compared to North Carolina.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts performs significantly better than North Carolina 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 performs significantly better than North Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
North Carolina performs better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
North Carolina generally does better on infrastructure, though Massachusetts leads in internet access.
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 North Carolina leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Massachusetts performs significantly better than North Carolina across all family life metrics.
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 | Asheville | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 52°/32°F (11°/0°C) | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/53°F (24°/12°C) | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/38°F (15°/3°C) | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Asheville | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.1°/-2.4°C) | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) |
| Feb | 50°/31°F (10.2°/-0.6°C) | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) |
| Mar | 58°/37°F (14.4°/2.9°C) | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) |
| Apr | 67°/45°F (19.7°/7.3°C) | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) |
| May | 75°/53°F (23.9°/11.7°C) | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) |
| Jun | 82°/61°F (27.6°/16.1°C) | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 85°/65°F (29.3°/18.1°C) | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.7°C) | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) |
| Sep | 77°/57°F (25.1°/13.8°C) | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) |
| Oct | 68°/46°F (19.9°/7.9°C) | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 58°/38°F (14.7°/3.1°C) | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) |
| Dec | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-0.9°C) | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts than North Carolina?
On average Massachusetts is around 18% pricier than North Carolina, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Massachusetts?
Budget about $22,144 for 3 months in Massachusetts (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Massachusetts safe?
Massachusetts performs significantly better than North Carolina across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Massachusetts compared to North Carolina?
Massachusetts performs significantly better than North Carolina across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Massachusetts compared to North Carolina?
The average high temperature in Boston is 59°F, compared to 67°F in Asheville. Boston receives around 43.8 in of rainfall per year, while Asheville gets 37.0 in.
