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Boston, MA vs Albuquerque, NM

Moving from Boston to Albuquerque? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($741,868 → $352,894 median home) and taxes.

Boston vs Albuquerque at a glance

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

Boston, MA Albuquerque, NM Cost-of-living index Boston, MA — Cost-of-living index: 110 110 Albuquerque, NM — Cost-of-living index: 94 94 Median home price Boston, MA — Median home price: $742k $742k Albuquerque, NM — Median home price: $353k $353k Price per sqft Boston, MA — Price per sqft: $436 $436 Albuquerque, NM — Price per sqft: $191 $191 Median rent Boston, MA — Median rent: $3,211 $3,211 Albuquerque, NM — Median rent: $1,502 $1,502 Combined sales tax Boston, MA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Albuquerque, NM — Combined sales tax: 7.8% 7.8% Property tax rate Boston, MA — Property tax rate: 1.14% 1.14% Albuquerque, NM — Property tax rate: 0.93% 0.93% Violent crime /100k Boston, MA — Violent crime /100k: 330 330 Albuquerque, NM — Violent crime /100k: 780 780 Electricity ¢/kWh Boston, MA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 29.4 29.4 Albuquerque, NM — Electricity ¢/kWh: 15.2 15.2 Avg commute (min) Boston, MA — Avg commute (min): 31 31 Albuquerque, NM — Avg commute (min): 24 24 Avg summer high °F Boston, MA — Avg summer high °F: 82° 82° Albuquerque, NM — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Avg winter low °F Boston, MA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° Albuquerque, NM — Avg winter low °F: 25° 25°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Boston, MA, you'd need about $84,812 in Albuquerque, NM (−$15,188).

Livability — Boston, MA: 48 · Albuquerque, NM: 60 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,146 sqft in Boston vs 2,621 sqft in Albuquerque ($436 vs $191 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBoston, MAAlbuquerque, NMDifference
Housing $38,532 $18,024 −$20,508
Groceries $5,040 $4,871 −$169
Transportation $3,210 $3,260 +$50
Utilities $3,180 $1,632 −$1,548
Insurance $1,800 $1,900 +$100
Taxes $17,694 $10,881 −$6,812
Total $69,455 $40,568 −$28,887

Side by side

MetricBoston, MAAlbuquerque, NM
Cost-of-living index110.493.6
Unemployment rate5.02%5.69%
Population growth (5-yr)2.9%1.2%
Air quality (median AQI)4361
Big Mac price (est.)$6.28$5.33
Median home price$741,868$352,894
Home price ÷ income6.9×5.5×
1-yr home appreciation1.6%1.0%
Price per square foot$436$191
Median rent$3,211$1,502
Total tax burden (% income)11.5%10.2%
Combined sales tax6.25%7.78%
Capital gains tax9.00%5.90%
Property tax rate1.14%0.93%
Healthcare (annual)$8,200$6,400
Childcare (annual, infant)$21,000$10,000
Vehicle property tax2.25%None
Avg commute (min)3124
Home insurance / yr$1,800$1,900
Auto insurance / yr$1,500$1,600
Flood insurance / yr$800$550
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh29.415.2
Gas $/gal3.303.20
Violent crime /100k330780
Avg summer high °F8292
Avg winter low °F2225
Permit difficulty (1–5)43
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