Lancaster, PA vs Boston, MA
Moving from Lancaster to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($388,207 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Lancaster 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 Lancaster, PA, you'd need about $114,097 in Boston, MA (+$14,097).
Livability — Lancaster, PA: 64 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,254 sqft in Lancaster vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($222 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lancaster, PA | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,312 | $38,532 | +$20,220 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $5,040 | +$125 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,210 | −$230 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $3,180 | +$864 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,800 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $9,202 | $17,694 | +$8,492 |
| Total | $39,385 | $69,455 | +$30,070 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lancaster, PA | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 96.8 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.38% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.1% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.51 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $388,207 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.6% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $222 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,526 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.48% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $82 | $108 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $65 | $71 |
| Home internet / mo | $78 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 44.1 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 23.1 | 49.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 56% | 58% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 4 |