Boston, MA vs Allentown, PA
Moving from Boston to Allentown? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($741,868 → $363,989 median home) and taxes.
Boston vs Allentown at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Boston, MA, you'd need about $89,571 in Allentown, PA (−$10,429).
Livability — Boston, MA: 48 · Allentown, PA: 63 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,146 sqft in Boston vs 2,404 sqft in Allentown ($436 vs $208 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Boston, MA | Allentown, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $38,532 | $22,284 | −$16,248 |
| Groceries | $5,040 | $4,911 | −$128 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $3,440 | +$230 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $2,316 | −$864 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,200 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $17,694 | $10,058 | −$7,635 |
| Total | $69,455 | $44,209 | −$25,246 |
Side by side
| Metric | Boston, MA | Allentown, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 110.4 | 98.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.02% | 5.48% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.9% | 3.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 41 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.28 | $5.63 |
| Median home price | $741,868 | $363,989 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.9× | 4.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.6% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $436 | $208 |
| Median rent | $3,211 | $1,857 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 1.85% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |