Charlotte, NC vs Boston, MA
Moving from Charlotte to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($390,321 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Charlotte vs Boston 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 Charlotte, NC, you'd need about $113,430 in Boston, MA (+$13,430).
Livability — Charlotte, NC: 66 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,561 sqft in Charlotte vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($195 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Charlotte, NC | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,880 | $38,532 | +$17,652 |
| Groceries | $4,834 | $5,040 | +$206 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,210 | +$80 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $3,180 | +$1,428 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,800 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $8,740 | $17,694 | +$8,954 |
| Total | $41,336 | $69,455 | +$28,119 |
Side by side
| Metric | Charlotte, NC | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.71% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 10.0% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $390,321 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.1× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -0.4% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $195 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,740 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.72% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |