Boston at a glance
- Boston ranks 25th of 27 priced cities in United States of America on cost: $3,935 a month in essentials, 104% above Detroit, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $6,184 covers that 1.6×.
- 95.7 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at county level.
- PM2.5 averages 9.8 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 27 United States of America cities we track, so every row says whether Boston is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $3,935 | $2,701 | 1.46× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $2,600 | $1,633 | 1.59× as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $3,400 | $2,030 | 1.67× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $308 | $275 | $33 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $600 | $491 | $109 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $337 | $294 | $43 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $90 | $90 | same |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $6,184 | $4,668 | 1.32× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $3,916 | $2,646 | 1.48× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $5,873 | $3,929 | 1.49× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Boston, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $30.00 | $24.00 | 1.25× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $100.00 | $90.00 | $10.00 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $12.00 | $12.00 | same |
| Cappuccino, regular | $5.11 | $5.89 | $0.78 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $8.00 | $7.50 | $0.50 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $9.00 | $9.00 | same |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $2.87 | $3.10 | $0.23 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $2.31 | $2.37 | $0.06 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.23 | $1.19 | $0.04 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $4.08 | $4.14 | $0.06 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $6.62 | $5.46 | $1.16 |
| Eggs, 12 | $5.88 | $5.25 | $0.63 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $15.07 | $14.45 | $0.62 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $13.98 | $14.23 | $0.25 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $7.49 | $5.35 | 1.40× as much |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.11 | $1.84 | $0.27 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $7.17 | $5.29 | 1.36× as much |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $4.43 | $2.94 | 1.51× as much |
| Onions, 1 kg | $4.03 | $3.07 | 1.31× as much |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $2.87 | $2.50 | $0.37 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $2.40 | $2.50 | $0.10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $90.00 | $90.00 | same |
| Taxi start | $2.60 | $3.10 | $0.50 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.75 | $1.71 | $0.04 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.00 | $1.05 | $0.05 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $254.37 | $221.77 | $32.60 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $82.96 | $73.58 | $9.38 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $57.23 | $67.86 | $10.63 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $86.67 | $63.11 | 1.37× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $15.00 | $15.50 | $0.50 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Boston has 95.7 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (county level). That is the 22nd-highest of 27 United States of America cities we track. United States of America's national figure is 106.9, so Boston runs 11 below the country as a whole.
Every United States of America region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Boston ranks against every city we track
Boston sits ahead of 98% of the 545 cities we track on local salary. On women aged 20–39 it is ahead of 76% of 892. Its weakest measure is city-centre rent, ahead of only 0% of 553.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Boston sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Ian Howard, CC BY 2.5.
