Boston, MA vs Fargo, ND
Moving from Boston to Fargo? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($741,868 → $327,854 median home) and taxes.
Boston vs Fargo 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 $80,743 in Fargo, ND (−$19,257).
Livability — Boston, MA: 48 · Fargo, ND: 68 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,146 sqft in Boston vs 2,592 sqft in Fargo ($436 vs $193 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Boston, MA | Fargo, ND | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $38,532 | $13,872 | −$24,660 |
| Groceries | $5,040 | $4,850 | −$190 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $3,130 | −$80 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,332 | −$1,848 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,100 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $17,694 | $8,083 | −$9,610 |
| Total | $69,455 | $33,367 | −$36,088 |
Side by side
| Metric | Boston, MA | Fargo, ND |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 110.4 | 89.1 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.02% | 3.11% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.9% | 8.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 38 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.28 | $5.07 |
| Median home price | $741,868 | $327,854 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.9× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.6% | 3.2% |
| Price per square foot | $436 | $193 |
| Median rent | $3,211 | $1,156 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 8.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 7.04% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% | 1.20% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 18 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 12.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 290 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | -2 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |