Fargo, ND vs Boston, MA
Moving from Fargo to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,854 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Fargo 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 Fargo, ND, you'd need about $123,849 in Boston, MA (+$23,849).
Livability — Fargo, ND: 68 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,592 sqft in Fargo vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($193 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fargo, ND | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,872 | $38,532 | +$24,660 |
| Groceries | $4,850 | $5,040 | +$190 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $3,210 | +$80 |
| Utilities | $1,332 | $3,180 | +$1,848 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,800 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $8,083 | $17,694 | +$9,611 |
| Total | $33,367 | $69,455 | +$36,089 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fargo, ND | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.2% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $327,854 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.2% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $193 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,156 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.8% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.04% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.20% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 18 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.3 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $62 | $108 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $70 | $71 |
| Home internet / mo | $88 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 290 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | -2 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 22.6 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 50.0 | 49.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 57% | 58% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |