Rochester, NY vs Boston, MA
Moving from Rochester to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($285,034 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Rochester 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 Rochester, NY, you'd need about $112,201 in Boston, MA (+$12,201).
Livability — Rochester, NY: 59 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,807 sqft in Rochester vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($178 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rochester, NY | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,164 | $38,532 | +$19,368 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $5,040 | +$172 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,210 | −$685 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $3,180 | +$0 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,800 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $18,722 | $17,694 | −$1,028 |
| Total | $51,429 | $69,455 | +$18,026 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rochester, NY | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.4 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.01% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.6% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 43 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.60 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $285,034 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.7% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $178 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,597 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 2.76% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.30 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 22 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 4 |