SalaryCompareTool

Boston, MA vs Salisbury, MD

Moving from Boston to Salisbury? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($741,868 → $429,483 median home) and taxes.

Boston vs Salisbury at a glance

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

Boston, MA Salisbury, MD Cost-of-living index Boston, MA — Cost-of-living index: 110 110 Salisbury, MD — Cost-of-living index: 93 93 Median home price Boston, MA — Median home price: $742k $742k Salisbury, MD — Median home price: $429k $429k Price per sqft Boston, MA — Price per sqft: $436 $436 Salisbury, MD — Price per sqft: $226 $226 Median rent Boston, MA — Median rent: $3,211 $3,211 Salisbury, MD — Median rent: $1,968 $1,968 Combined sales tax Boston, MA — Combined sales tax: 6.3% 6.3% Salisbury, MD — Combined sales tax: 6.0% 6.0% Property tax rate Boston, MA — Property tax rate: 1.14% 1.14% Salisbury, MD — Property tax rate: 0.49% 0.49% Violent crime /100k Boston, MA — Violent crime /100k: 330 330 Salisbury, MD — Violent crime /100k: 450 450 Electricity ¢/kWh Boston, MA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 29.4 29.4 Salisbury, MD — Electricity ¢/kWh: 22.1 22.1 Avg commute (min) Boston, MA — Avg commute (min): 31 31 Salisbury, MD — Avg commute (min): 25 25 Avg summer high °F Boston, MA — Avg summer high °F: 82° 82° Salisbury, MD — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° Avg winter low °F Boston, MA — Avg winter low °F: 22° 22° Salisbury, MD — Avg winter low °F: 27° 27°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Boston, MA, you'd need about $83,921 in Salisbury, MD (−$16,079).

Livability — Boston, MA: 48 · Salisbury, MD: 65 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,146 sqft in Boston vs 2,212 sqft in Salisbury ($436 vs $226 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryBoston, MASalisbury, MDDifference
Housing $38,532 $23,616 −$14,916
Groceries $5,040 $4,863 −$176
Transportation $3,210 $3,685 +$475
Utilities $3,180 $2,388 −$792
Insurance $1,800 $1,400 −$400
Taxes $17,694 $9,253 −$8,440
Total $69,455 $45,205 −$24,250

Side by side

MetricBoston, MASalisbury, MD
Cost-of-living index110.492.6
Unemployment rate5.02%5.84%
Population growth (5-yr)2.9%6.9%
Air quality (median AQI)4340
Big Mac price (est.)$6.28$5.27
Median home price$741,868$429,483
Home price ÷ income6.9×5.9×
1-yr home appreciation1.6%-0.5%
Price per square foot$436$226
Median rent$3,211$1,968
Total tax burden (% income)11.5%11.3%
Combined sales tax6.25%6.00%
Capital gains tax9.00%5.75%
Property tax rate1.14%0.49%
Healthcare (annual)$8,200$7,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$21,000$16,000
Vehicle property tax2.25%None
Avg commute (min)3125
Home insurance / yr$1,800$1,400
Auto insurance / yr$1,500$1,900
Flood insurance / yr$800$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$100
Electricity ¢/kWh29.422.1
Gas $/gal3.303.30
Violent crime /100k330450
Avg summer high °F8288
Avg winter low °F2227
Permit difficulty (1–5)44

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