SalaryCompareTool

Boston, MA vs Erie, PA

Moving from Boston to Erie? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($741,868 → $224,109 median home) and taxes.

Boston vs Erie at a glance

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

Boston, MA Erie, PA Cost-of-living index Boston, MA — Cost-of-living index: 110 110 Erie, PA — Cost-of-living index: 92 92 Median home price Boston, MA — Median home price: $742k $742k Erie, PA — Median home price: $224k $224k Price per sqft Boston, MA — Price per sqft: $436 $436 Erie, PA — Price per sqft: $128 $128 Median rent Boston, MA — Median rent: $3,211 $3,211 Erie, PA — Median rent: $1,138 $1,138 Combined sales tax Boston, MA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Erie, PA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Property tax rate Boston, MA — Property tax rate: 1.14% 1.14% Erie, PA — Property tax rate: 1.71% 1.71% Violent crime /100k Boston, MA — Violent crime /100k: 330 330 Erie, PA — Violent crime /100k: 390 390 Electricity ¢/kWh Boston, MA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 29.4 29.4 Erie, PA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 21.5 21.5 Avg commute (min) Boston, MA — Avg commute (min): 31 31 Erie, PA — Avg commute (min): 20 20 Avg summer high °F Boston, MA — Avg summer high °F: 82° 82° Erie, PA — Avg summer high °F: 85° 85° Avg winter low °F Boston, MA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° Erie, PA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Boston, MA, you'd need about $83,285 in Erie, PA (−$16,715).

Livability — Boston, MA: 48 · Erie, PA: 71 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,146 sqft in Boston vs 3,903 sqft in Erie ($436 vs $128 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBoston, MAErie, PADifference
Housing $38,532 $13,656 −$24,876
Groceries $5,040 $4,915 −$125
Transportation $3,210 $3,440 +$230
Utilities $3,180 $2,316 −$864
Insurance $1,800 $1,200 −$600
Taxes $17,694 $8,027 −$9,666
Total $69,455 $33,554 −$35,901

Side by side

MetricBoston, MAErie, PA
Cost-of-living index110.491.9
Unemployment rate5.02%5.47%
Population growth (5-yr)2.9%-2.6%
Air quality (median AQI)4338
Big Mac price (est.)$6.28$5.23
Median home price$741,868$224,109
Home price ÷ income6.9×3.8×
1-yr home appreciation1.6%5.9%
Price per square foot$436$128
Median rent$3,211$1,138
Total tax burden (% income)11.5%10.6%
Combined sales tax6.25%6.34%
Capital gains tax9.00%3.07%
Property tax rate1.14%1.71%
Healthcare (annual)$8,200$7,000
Childcare (annual, infant)$21,000$12,000
Vehicle property tax2.25%None
Avg commute (min)3120
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 ¢/kWh29.421.5
Gas $/gal3.303.55
Violent crime /100k330390
Avg summer high °F8285
Avg winter low °F2222
Permit difficulty (1–5)43
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