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Baton Rouge, LA vs Boston, MA

Moving from Baton Rouge to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($248,176 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.

Baton Rouge vs Boston at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Baton Rouge, LA Boston, MA Cost-of-living index Baton Rouge, LA — Cost-of-living index: 91 91 Boston, MA — Cost-of-living index: 110 110 Median home price Baton Rouge, LA — Median home price: $248k $248k Boston, MA — Median home price: $742k $742k Price per sqft Baton Rouge, LA — Price per sqft: $124 $124 Boston, MA — Price per sqft: $436 $436 Median rent Baton Rouge, LA — Median rent: $1,393 $1,393 Boston, MA — Median rent: $3,211 $3,211 Combined sales tax Baton Rouge, LA — Combined sales tax: 9.6% 9.6% Boston, MA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Property tax rate Baton Rouge, LA — Property tax rate: 0.56% 0.56% Boston, MA — Property tax rate: 1.14% 1.14% Violent crime /100k Baton Rouge, LA — Violent crime /100k: 630 630 Boston, MA — Violent crime /100k: 330 330 Electricity ¢/kWh Baton Rouge, LA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 14.4 14.4 Boston, MA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 29.4 29.4 Avg commute (min) Baton Rouge, LA — Avg commute (min): 27 27 Boston, MA — Avg commute (min): 31 31 Avg summer high °F Baton Rouge, LA — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Boston, MA — Avg summer high °F: 82° 82° Avg winter low °F Baton Rouge, LA — Avg winter low °F: 43° 43° Boston, MA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Baton Rouge, LA, you'd need about $121,001 in Boston, MA (+$21,001).

Livability — Baton Rouge, LA: 69 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,029 sqft in Baton Rouge vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($124 vs $436 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBaton Rouge, LABoston, MADifference
Housing $16,716 $38,532 +$21,816
Groceries $4,650 $5,040 +$390
Transportation $4,475 $3,210 −$1,265
Utilities $1,560 $3,180 +$1,620
Insurance $3,500 $1,800 −$1,700
Taxes $8,854 $17,694 +$8,840
Total $39,755 $69,455 +$29,700

Side by side

MetricBaton Rouge, LABoston, MA
Cost-of-living index91.2110.4
Unemployment rate6.51%5.02%
Population growth (5-yr)5.0%2.9%
Air quality (median AQI)4242
Big Mac price (est.)$5.19$6.28
Median home price$248,176$741,868
Home price ÷ income3.7×6.9×
1-yr home appreciation1.5%1.6%
Price per square foot$124$436
Median rent$1,393$3,211
Total tax burden (% income)9.1%11.5%
Combined sales tax9.56%6.25%
Capital gains tax4.25%9.00%
Property tax rate0.56%1.14%
Healthcare (annual)$6,600$8,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$8,000$21,000
Vehicle property tax0.10%2.25%
Avg commute (min)2731
Home insurance / yr$3,500$1,800
Auto insurance / yr$2,900$1,500
Flood insurance / yr$1,000$800
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh14.429.4
Gas $/gal2.953.30
Natural gas / mo$52$108
Water & sewer / mo$108$71
Home internet / mo$76$78
Violent crime /100k630330
Avg summer high °F9282
Avg winter low °F4322
Annual precipitation (in)63.443.6
Annual snowfall (in)0.049.2
Sunshine (% possible)57%58%
Permit difficulty (1–5)24
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